Troublesome Mermaid
by The Feline
Summary: Shikamaru was given the mission to watch over Konoha's new resident from Amegakure. It seems that everyone knew something different about the famous girl, but he didn't know a thing. The girl ends up being more trouble than she's worth when she's hiding a secret from Shikamaru after they've grown closer due to the living situation. (ShikaXOC).
1. The Assignment

"Shikamaru Nara," the Hokage, Lady Tsunade, folded her hands in front of her mouth as she stared at the boy with her serious bronze eyes, "I'm assigning you to be the escort of the new resident that will be arriving in three days. She will be living under your roof until her own housing situation is cleared up."

Shikamaru felt his eyes widen at what he just heard, "Hold on, Lady Hokage... What do you mean by '_she_'?"

"Her name is Mizuko Kurosawa from the Rain," he could hear the amused smile in her voice. "The girl has been sent here due to the village's abusive behavior towards her. We have record that she was originally born here in Konoha, but she moved away when she was just about to graduate. She lived in Amegakure until she became a chūnin such as yourself."

"Another chūnin, huh?" Shikamaru sighed, "What a drag... Not only am I going to have to watch this new resident, but it had to be a_ girl_, didn't it?"

"Would you have preferred another male?" Lady Tsunade tilted her head, raising a questioning eyebrow at him.

He sweat dropped, "A female would be easier to handle in case something were to happen, but I'm just thinking of how my mom's going to react when she sees me bringing home a girl."

"Well," the woman lifted a few papers off her cluttered desk and held it out to him, "here's some more information about the girl."

"Thanks," he replied, taking the papers from her as he started to turn away from her. "If there's nothing else, then I'll be leaving."

"Actually, there's one more thing."

He looked over his shoulder at the blond woman in question.

"Mizuko Kurosawa was given the nickname '_Mizuko the Mermaid_' for her excellent use with chakra of the water nature, and another being the '_Kurosawa Siren_' for her use of singing to draw in her attackers. She's mastered many of the well-known water-style jutsus as well as some that are still unknown. Be careful with her when she's around the element. It'll give her an overpowering advantage."

"Understood."

"You're dismissed," she said with a sigh as she picked up another piece of paperwork.

He left the room, shutting the door behind him. Shikamaru walked lazily down the hallway of the Hokage Tower with his hands in his pockets, wanting nothing more than to be able to lay at his favorite spot and watch the clouds. The paperwork had been rolled up and put in his back pocket.

His mind wandered.

_I had just gotten rid of Temari today after escorting her around with all the preparations for the Chūnin Exams coming up. Naruto had just returned to the village after his three-year-long training the day before._ Shikamaru sighed again, walking down the outside stairway steps of the Tower. _Now the Hokage is assigning me to babysit this new girl until the ANBU interrogate her and build her house. How troublesome... She better be cute._

"So," a deeper, gravelly version of Shikamaru's own lazy tone spoke, "I heard that we'll be having a house guest soon. Your mother should be thrilled."

The lazy teen looked up to his father with tired eyes, "That, and she'll try keeping me a hundred feet away from the girl despite the fact that I'll have to be observing her."

The elder Nara smirked, "Observing her, eh? Does that mean you'll be keeping an eye on her at _all_ times?"

"I doubt that the Hokage meant _that_, Dad," Shikamaru sweat dropped in return to his father's mischievous smile.

His father just patted his son on the shoulder, "You say that now, but you haven't even seen the girl yet, Shikamaru."

"She sounds troublesome already," Shikamaru sighed.

"Well, what's her name?"

"Mizuko Kurosawa." Shikamaru read off the nicknames, too, "She's also known as '_Mizuko the Mermaid_' or '_Kurosawa Siren_'."

Shikamaru's father's eyes widened in shock ever so slightly, "The _Kurosawa Siren_ is going to be staying at our house?"

"You've heard of her?" He was surprised at this, but he didn't show it.

"I don't know very much, but she's a highly intelligent chūnin, like yourself, Shikamaru. Kurosawa is a famous for her techniques and strategic analysis." The man grinned, "You're going to have your hands full with that one."

Shikamaru sighed, "What a drag..."

"Shikamaru!"

He turned away from his father to see his best friend, Choji Akamichi, jogging up to him. Shikamaru knew better than to question his friend's weight, but it never really mattered to him either. It was too troublesome to try and convince Choji to lay off the chips for awhile, not to mention impossible. He liked his friend the way he was. Ino, on the other hand, went on and on about diets.

How the three ended up being on a team together, he'll never know. It was probably because the trio's families have been known for working well together for the longest time, but still. The personalities are way off.

"What's up, Choji?" Shikamaru was curious to why his friend seemed so eager to greet him.

"I heard that you're going to be living with a _girl_ in a few days," Choji grinned with a light blush on his cheeks.

"I guess news really does travel quickly," Shikamaru's father replied before walking off. "I'm going home before your mother has a fit. See you later, Shikamaru."

"Later, Dad." He waved him off before turning back to Choji, "How did you hear about that already?"

"Well," Choji tapped his index finger against his chin. "Sakura overheard it from Tsunade and told Ino about it at the flower shop. Ino, being the gossip girl she is, decided to run over and ask me if that was true. I came here to hear it for myself."

Shikamaru took a moment to take in the information before sighing, "Ino needs to learn how to shut her big-"

"My big what, Shikamaru?"

He turned his head to the right to see a slightly irritated-looking Ino Yamanaka tapping her foot with both hands on her hips.

"Never mind."

It was all he could say to possibly save him from another one of Ino's rants.

Fortunately, she didn't pressure on about it, "Well, anyway, what's the new girl look like?" There were sparkles in the blond's blue eyes as she clapped her hands together and edged closer to Shikamaru, causing him to step back and sweat drop, "Is she pretty? Does she like to shop? Is she strong? Does she know anything about flowers? Is she interesting at all?"

He held up his hands in defense, "I wouldn't know. I haven't met her yet, and I barely looked over the information I was given about her."

"Well," Ino grinned brightly, "let's look at it together! I'm on lunch anyway, so we can get some food while we're out."

"What's the point if you're not going to eat anything?" Shikamaru looked at his teammate curiously.

"What's it matter, Shikamaru?" Choji grinned, "She said food, so I'm in! I wanna' know about this girl, too."

He gave a defeated sigh, knowing that there was no way to get out of this. His teammates shouted in glee as they dragged him to their favorite restaurant:

The Beef House.

* * *

Choji had placed the meat slices quickly, but neatly, on the grill. The scent of meat filled the trio's nostrils as it sizzled from being cooked. Ino had seated herself next to Choji, closest to the window, and Shikamaru was sitting across from the Choji of them. Asuma had found them walking in and beckoned them to sit with him. He was sitting across from Ino. The place seemed pretty popular today.

"So," Asuma took a puff from his cigarette, "you're going to be living with a girl until her living conditions are set up, eh?"

"Yeah," Shikamaru replied, rolling his eyes, "it's such a drag. I just hope she's not like my mom, or there _will_ be problems for me and my dad."

Ino pointed an accusing chopstick at him, "Just don't do anything to make the poor girl feel awkward! I know how guys your age work, Shikamaru. You're all the same in that way. You look for the girls with the best body, make them fall for you, then you screw them over."

Shikamaru's eyes widened, reeling his head back from the chopsticks, "I don't even know the girl, Ino! How do you expect me to want to get her into bed when I know nothing about her? I have no interest in doing that, anyway." Pushing the jabbing sticks away, he lowered his voice, "_I'm suppose to be observing her so she's not planning something against the village._"

Choji snickered as he piled meat slices onto his plate, "I hope she's cute, though. It'd be nice to have a cute girl with a good personality for a change."

"What's _that_ suppose to mean?!" Ino had an enraged vein popping out of her forehead as she glared at Choji.

Asuma sweat dropped, "Oh, boy..."

"Now you've done it, Choji," Shikamaru face-palmed.

"Huh?" Choji blinked, looking a bit like a mouse that got caught stealing the cheese.

He turned to see Ino looked like Medusa with her hair floated around her as the atmosphere darkened eerily. There was a wicked smile on her face. Choji sweat dropped and gave her a nervous smile.

"_Ino,_" Shikamaru intervened before the girl could kill his friend, "don't you want to know about this girl?"

"Oh, yes, _yes!_" Her mood flipped like a switch as she clasped her hands together, staring at Shikamaru with begging eyes.

Shikamaru handed a paper to Asuma and Ino. Choji looked over Ino's shoulder to see, but he ended up getting a scolding from the blond about his greasy fingers. He carefully watched his teammates' expressions as they looked over the information about the new girl in town.

"_Mizuko the Mermaid_..." Asuma looked thoughtful for a moment, "That name sounds familiar. I think I've heard it before."

Shikamaru told his sensei what Tsunade had told him, "She's been given the nickname for her enhanced use in water-style jutsu."

"Ah," Asuma seemed to have found the memory he was looking for. "Mizuko Kurosawa, a lovely girl with an odd attitude. I actually met her."

The squad leaned closer, waiting for their sensei to say more about the girl.

The man smiled before taking another drag, "Well, I met her on one of my missions. I was on stake-out while Kurenai and Kakashi were going around for information about the man we were looking for. Mizuko walked out to the lake I was near and sat at the edge. I watched her out of curiosity because the townspeople told us that it was very rare for someone to visit the lake, mainly one person appeared every month. A waterlily floated closer to her until she lifted it from the water.

"She picked it up, brushing the excess water off the flower as she called out to me, 'You can come out from there, sir. I know you're watching.'" Another drag, then Asuma flicked the ashes into the ashtray, "I walked out to her, and she smiled at me. She seemed innocent enough. I asked her why she was out there. She told me that it was because the waterlilies floated in the lake that time of year. I asked her if it was her favorite flower. She shook her head and said, 'Waterlilies are lovely flowers that portray purity of the heart.' Then she looked up to me and said, 'I don't have much purity anymore, sir. I'm more like a black rose. The deepest shade of the crimson rose symbolizing death as it waits to be reborn into the bright beauty it was known for.' She plucked the pink flower from its pad, giving it to me as she spoke again, 'You, on the other hand, are a pure heart.' With that, she walked away. I called out to her, asking her name. She only told me she had many names but to remember her as _Mizuko the Mermaid_ and to keep the flower as a good luck charm."

"Wow..." Ino's cerulean eyes sparkled, "How cute!"

"Wait," Shikamaru said after he took in the story. "She said that she was a 'black rose that symbolized death waiting to be reborn'. What did she mean by that?"

"I have no idea," Asuma replied, taking another puff from his cigarette. "I still have the waterlily pressed in a book, though. It was a nice souvenir from a successful mission. Actually, when the man that we were looking for saw it, he turned himself in. It was like he knew it as a symbol or something. It was weird."

"That_ is_ weird," Choji agreed, wolfing down the meat slices as if he hadn't eaten in days. "It's like he knew who gave it to you or something."

"Mizuko Kurosawa," Shikamaru wondered aloud, "just who in the world are you?"


	2. The Mission

Three days had passed since I was told that I was becoming a resident to Konoha.

I looked around my nearly empty rectangle of a room as I put my final bag in the stone hallway that was lit only by the candles on the walls. The bed against the wall across from the doorway only had its white sheets and plain white pillow, begging for someone to sleep in it. The nightstand next to it was cleared off and emptied. The bookcases just feet of the foot of the bed held no books or picture frames like it had before. The desk against the right wall had been cleared off also, all but the burning candle being the only light from the inside of the room, with its chair pushed in. The red and white target above it was worn from the use of target practice from the bed on boring days. The dresser against the wall that shared the doorway had been emptied of its contents. Nothing but the target above the desk said that someone had use to live in the room.

I pulled my long, brunette hair from its sloppy ponytail at the nape and threw it into a high one at the crown of my head, letting it fall to just above my lower back. The bangs on the either side of my face curved around my cheeks, just going below my jawline. As usual, the rest of my fringe fell over my forehead. I adjusted the fishnet tank under my off-the-shoulder, short-sleeved, dark blue shirt that curved just under my collarbone to show the silver chain of my necklace. I smoothed out my pleated black skirt with my fishnet leggings under it. I tried not to move my feet too much, becoming annoying with my black heels from their constant clicking against the stone flooring. My kunai holster was strapped to my right thigh and my ninja pouch attached to the belt loop on the same side on the back of my waist. I had my Ame headband around my neck.

"Mizuko-sensei," a small boy's voice spoke from behind me, "do you really have to leave?"

I turned around to find the boy I had been training for the past three years standing in the hall with his fists clenched tightly at his sides. His golden eyes were filled with a mixture of sadness and anger. He was no older than thirteen years old. A genin. The boy had light gray hair that was cropped short in the back, leading into the long bangs that covered his forehead and curved around his thing face. He had worn a brown tee with a long-sleeved fishnet shirt underneath. His matching cargo shorts and sandals were a shade of black.

"Yes, Aiji," I told him, exasperatedly, for the tenth time, "I must. It's an order from our lord."

The word _lord_ left a bad taste in my mouth, like a type of bitterness.

His hands unclenched themselves as he suddenly became interested in his feet, "I don't want you to go, though, sensei. You've been an older sister figure to me since the day that you saved me, and I don't want the possibility of losing you..."

"Aiji," I sighed tiredly as I went to the boy, crouching to the ground so I could see his face, "you are the most important person to me, and you know that. Nothing will stop me from coming back to you. Do you understand?"

Tears rolled down the boy's cheeks as he nodded tightly. He looked defeated beyond belief that it just broke my heart. I grabbed his shoulders and pulled him down into my arms, hugging him tightly. He wrapped his own arms around my midriff tightly as he returned the embrace. Aiji's tears soaked into my shirt, muffling his cries against my shoulder.

I sang quietly to him as we sat in the middle of the hallway, tears pricking at my own eyes.

"_Hush, little one,  
It will be okay.  
Our souls are connected,  
So you'll never be astray._

_Hush, little one,  
I'll be in your heart,  
And you'll be in mine.  
Forever and always._

_My little boy,  
Don't shed another tear.  
__Don't even let in fear._  
I will soon return  
To sing you my lullaby.

_My beloved child,  
You're too sweet to cry.  
Remember the memories,  
When you give that melancholy sigh._

_My precious dear,  
You are not sinned.  
Just listen for this song,  
Drifting through the wind.  
_

_Hush, little one,  
It will be okay.  
Our souls are connected,  
So you'll never be astray._

_Hush, little one,  
I'll be in your heart,  
And you'll be in mine.  
Forever and always._"

His cries had melted into hiccups then soon quieted to his normal breathing. He pulled away to look up at my face with the flame illuminating in his golden gaze. The tear tracks on his cheeks made his face shine in the candlelight. I wiped them with my sleeve.

"I'll be in your heart," he repeated as a small smile crept along his face.

"And you'll be in mine," I replied with a smile of my own.

"_Forever and always,_" we finished together then laughed.

"How _sweet_," a familiar sarcastic voice called as footsteps neared the two of us. "I knew I heard your singing in these halls."

I smiled teasingly at the figure as he stepped into the candlelight, "You know you're attracted to my voice, duck butt."

"As if," Sasuke Uchiha glared, scowling. "It just disturbed my sleeping. Do you know how early it is?"

I rolled my eyes, "It's almost ten in the morning, and you're normally up by six."

"Stalker," he smirked.

"Nah," I gave him a smug little smile, "I just remember you telling me when you saw me walk into the kitchen in my pajamas."

Sasuke's cheeks flared a bright pink as his eyes widened.

_Yeah,_ I thought,_ didn't think I'd play_ that _card, did you?_

Without another word said, Sasuke started to storm away.

Instinctively, I called out to him, "_Wait!_"

He stopped, looking back down at me curiously.

I sighed, feeling my shoulders slump, "I need a favor while I'm gone, Sasuke."

He nodded, raising an eyebrow at me. He obviously knew that this was important to me because I used his actual name instead of one of the stupid nicknames I normally would've said.

"I want you to look after Aiji for me," I told him, looking into his black orbs of eyes.

"_What?!_" Aiji seemed surprised that I was asking Sasuke of all people.

I shifted my gaze to the small boy, "Sasuke is the only one I can actually trust with you while I'm gone. He may be a little crazy with other people about his threatening to kill them all, but he learned his lesson about talking like that to me. He also knows that if anything happened to you while I was away, _he _would be getting the punishment for it."

"All right," Sasuke's voice caught my attention nonchalantly. "_I'll_ keep an eye on the brat until you get back."

"Thank you so much, Sasuke," I smiled up at him as I stood to my feet. I went over to him, clacking from the heels, and pinched his cheek. Hard. "And my Aiji is _not_ a _brat_!"

"Gaah!" He pulled away, rubbing his red cheek, "Okay, okay! Sheesh."

"Good," I put my hands on my hips. "Now if you would be so kind as to helping me put these bags into the cart. I need to go speak with Lord Orochimaru before I leave."

"Fine," they both muttered, trying to stay on my good side, as they picked up my luggage.

"Thanks, boys," I winked at them before walking in the opposite direction from them.

I followed the long halls, making left and right turns from memory of the Lord's room was. I came to a halt in front of two large, brown doors marked with the Otogakure symbol printed in crimson. It was suppose to remind anyone that crosses this door of blood. I took a deep breathe before knocking on one of the doors.

"Come in," his voice sent a chill down my spine.

I entered, walking to the center of the room. I knelt with my head towards the ground before the man sitting in his chair like a king sitting in his throne. His assistant, whose company I had never really enjoyed, stood next to him like a shadow. Their upper torsos were cloaked by the darkness of the room.

"Mizuko, my dear," I could hear the smile in his voice. "Welcome."

"Thank you, my Lord," I replied, keeping my head down.

"Do you know what your mission requests of you?"

"Yes, sir," I answered. "My mission is to gather information about Konoha for your destruction plan."

"Good girl," he praised. His voice quickly took on a cheerful warning, "That means you understand that if this mission goes _unpleasantly_, your precious Aiji will suffer for your actions."

I bit the inside of my cheek, tasting blood, as I replied through gritted teeth, "Yes..."

"Be a smart girl while you're away, my dear," the sadistic smile in his tone sent chill down my spine, "and remember that we have you're little student in the palm of our hands."

"That's right," his assistant agreed. "Don't do anything stupid, Mizuko."

"Meaning no disrespect towards Lord Orochimaru, but put a sock in it, Kabuto," I growled as I lifted my head to glare at him. "I'm fully aware of what's on the line should I fail."

"Ooo... Feisty, aren't we?" Orochimaru chuckled. "You're dismissed, girl."

Silently, I left the room. I was thankful to be out of the tense atmosphere. It was suffocating, waiting for me to snap. I nearly lost my temper at Kabuto while I was in there.

_I need to keep myself in check. If I end up snapping like last time..._ I shivered at the memory of Kabuto slicing his kunai knife slowly in perfect lines across my back. He was enjoying every minute of my torture, too. I knew he was. I could've only imagined what they would do to Aiji.

I shook my head, shaking the thought away in the process, "No! I won't let that happen to him."

I ran down the halls until I got to the entrance of the hole known as the Sound Village. I slowed into a walk when I saw Sasuke and Aiji were just putting the last of the luggage away in the cart before locking it up.

Aiji ran up to me and saluted, "Everything was put away tightly."

"Good job, soldier," I smiled sadly at him as I ruffled his soft hair. I looked up at Sasuke who was staring at us, "Thank you."

"Hmph," he looked away. It was his own way of saying "_You're welcome_".

"So," Aiji spoke quietly as he looked down, "I guess you're leaving now, huh?"

I lightly pinched his chin between my thumb and hooked index finger, tilting his head up to look at me, "Not before I give you a little parting gift."

The boy watched me with wide eyes as I took off my necklace and placed it around his neck. The silver chain's pendant was in the shape of a two inch teardrop with a tiny black rose in the center. Aiji looked at it as he held the pendant in his palm.

"Mizuko-sensei..." His gaze found my own, "isn't this the necklace your mother gave you?"

I smiled to him, "And now I'm giving it to you."

"I can't accept this," he told me, clutching the pendant in his fist. "It's too sentimental to you."

"Too bad," I put my hands on my hips. "Think of it as a way to remember me."

In an instant, Aiji's arms were wrapped around my midriff again. His shoulders bobbed as he cried into me. I wrapped one arm around his shoulders with my free hand stroking his hair.

I placed a kiss on the boy's head, "I have to go now."

Sasuke came over to me. I nodded sadly to him before he pulled Aiji away from me. It shattered me to see him struggle against the older male's grip. I turned away from him despite his shouts. I sat down on the bench of the cart, taking the the horse's reins in my hands. I steered the gray horse towards the direction of Konoha and started off on the dirt road.

* * *

Once I was far away enough, I let the tears I'd been holding in spill over. The horse flicked his ears back at me, questioning my sanity. I released a shaky sigh, blinking the tears from my eyes.

Most of the ride was spent with me turning the stubborn creature of a horse and wiping ferociously at my eyes. There were moments when the beast would look back at me with concern in his hazel eyes. Each time, I'd just smile at him and say that I was fine.

He obviously didn't believe me because I'd break down into another set of tears.

I calmed myself once more with a shaky breath before I opened my mouth and sang the lullaby.

"_Hush, little one,  
It will be okay.  
Our souls are connected,  
So you'll never be astray._

_Hush, little one,  
I'll be in your heart,  
And you'll be in mine.  
Forever and always._

_My little boy,  
Don't shed another tear.  
I will soon return  
To sing you my lullaby._

_My beloved child,  
You're too precious to cry.  
Remember the sweet memories,  
When you are feeling gray._

_Hush, little one,  
It will be okay.  
Our souls are connected,  
So you'll never be astray._

_Hush, little one,  
I'll be in your heart,  
And you'll be in mine.  
Forever and always._"

"Forever and always..." I repeated the last words in a whisper.

The horse seemed content with my singing. So, instead of letting myself go into another blubbering fit, I'd sing.

It made the trip more tolerable.

* * *

**(A/N): I know it's a little late, but I drew a picture of Mizuko and Aiji to get a better look at the two of them. It's on my deviantART account, so, yeah. Here you go:  art/Mizuko-and-Aiji-363392051?q=gallery%3Amewerz&qo=0**


	3. Kisses of the Sun

Shikamaru stood just inside the gate with his hands in his pockets. He yawned like a cat as sleepy tears pricked his tired eyes. He didn't know when the new girl would be arriving, so he woke up a little before nine. The teenager wondered what she looked like as he watched the sky. It was then that he heard something that sounded like an xylophone playing before singing soon joined the peaceful beat.

"_The kisses of the sun - Were sweet I didn't blink,_  
_ I let it in my eyes - Like an exotic drink,_  
_ The radio playing songs - That I have never heard,_  
_ I don't know what to say - Oh, not another word._"

Shikamaru's attention left the puffy whites in the bright blue to the large silhouette appearing in the distance outside the village. The village guards came away from their stalls to see what the strange voice was. It was calming, heavenly even. At least... until a drum's thumping came in, giving the song a more upbeat tune.

"_Just - la la la la la - It goes around the world,_  
_ Just - la la la la la - It's all around the world,_  
_ Just - la la la la la - And everybody's singing, _  
_ La la la la la - And now the bells are ringing._

_La la la la la - la la la la la la la - la la la la la - la la la la la la la,_  
_La la la la la - la la la la la la la - la la la la la - la la la la la la la._"

He watched as the figure came closer, noticing a girl standing on a horse's back with her arms out wide for balance. The wind blowing her ponytail back, keeping the longer strands out of her face like a caress. Shikamaru was amazed at her balance since the horse was trotting, tossing its head and whinnying like it were in a parade. The teenager heard the footsteps behind him as more people came to see the commotion.

"_Inside an empty room - My inspiration flows,_  
_ Can't wait to hear the tune - Around my head it goes,_  
_ The magic melody - You want to sing with me,_  
_ Just la la la la la - the music is the key,_

_ And now the night is gone - Still it goes on and on,_  
_ So deep inside of me - I long to set it free,_  
_ I don't know what to do - Just can't explain to you,_  
_ I don't know what to say - Oh, not another word._"

His eyes widened as the girl's features soon came into view. Her dark brown hair was in a high ponytail similar to Ino's, but long strand on the right side of Ino's face was on this girl's left, and she had bangs that fell lightly on her forehead. The longer strand curved around her face, just partially covering her left eye. Bright sapphire eyes gazed around the crowd until they found his, bringing her pink lips into a small smile. The Amegakure headband was tied around her neck, reminding Shikamaru of Hinata's fashion. She was slim, probably a dieter like Ino. The dark blue, short-sleeved shirt she wore went off her shoulders to reveal fishnet straps. A pleated, black skirt that came to her mid-thigh before revealing fishnets covering her long legs and a kunai holster on her right thigh.

_At least she's attractive,_ Shikamaru smirked back at her. He mentally sighed. _Mom's going to be enjoying the burst of energy this girl's already showing. What a drag... Did Lady Tsunade know that she set up an energetic girl at the lazy guy's house? She's going to be so troublesome...  
_

"_Just - la la la la la - It goes around the world,_  
_ Just - la la la la la - It's all around the world,_  
_ Just - la la la la la - And everybody's singing, _  
_ La la la la la - And now the bells are ringing_."

The crowd of villagers, including smaller children and elders, sang along with the stranger as she clasped her hands together and held them close to her chest. They seemed happy with the sudden change in routine, though, some still seemed suspicious of the newcomer. Instead of the usual quietness of the village or Konohamaru's perfect impersonation of Naruto's loudmouth attitude, there was singing today.

"_La la la la la - la la la la la la la - la la la la la - la la la la la la la,_  
_ La la la la la - la la la la la la la - la la la la la - la la la la la la la._"

The villagers quieted as they watched her spin on the stallion's back before spreading her arms wide again. They watched in awe as she continued singing.

"_The kisses of the sun. _

_ La la la la la - It goes around the world_,  
_ Just - la la la la la - It's all around the world_,  
_ Just - la la la la la - And everybody's singing,_  
_ La la la la la - And now the bells are ringing_,

_ La la la la la - la la la la la la la - la la la la la - la la la la la la la,_  
_ La la la la la - la la la la la la la - la la la la la - la la la la la la la,_

_ Around - Around - Around the world._"

The music ended. The girl gave a curtsy as signal that she was finished. The audience applauded. As she straightened, the horse reared onto its hid legs. The girl gave a scream as she fell off the its back.

Instinctively, Shikamaru ran forward.

He knew he caught her when he felt the weight in his arms. He was surprised at how light she was and how easily she fit curled against his own body on his lap. His cheeks flushed lightly as he shook his head, trying to shake the thought away. The girl pulled away from him and got to her feet so quickly that Shikamaru doubted that even _Lee_ could have matched it.

She bowed to the waist, holding her skirt down, "I'm so sorry! Thank you for catching me."

"Um... No problem," Shikamaru sat up, looking at her curiously.

The crowd soon departed as she held her hand out to him. He took it, feeling the strength of her grip as she pulled him to his feet. He was just a few inches taller than her. Her sapphire eyes looked up at him.

"My name's Mizuko Kurosawa." She smiled, shaking his hand, "It's nice to meet you, um...?"

"Shikamaru Nara," he told her.

"Shikamaru Nara," she repeated. "Thank you again."

"It'd be troublesome if the new girl broke from falling off a horse on her first day in the village," Shikamaru folded his arms behind his head in a lazy fashion, trying to keep his cool exterior.

Her eyes widened as though she had completely forgotten about the gray stallion. She turned back to it, leveling a finger at it, "Gaki! Didn't I tell you not to rear up while I'm on your back?!"

The horse snorted in reply before it nuzzled its big muzzle into her shoulder.

He looked at her, chuckling, "You named the horse '_brat_'?"

"Well, he _is_ a brat," she crossed her arms in a pout.

"Anyway," Shikamaru smiled, amused, "I'm going to be your escort until you get use to the village, and you'll be living at my house until your own living conditions are set."

Shikamaru smirked as Mizuko's eyes nearly bulged out of her head, "I'm going to be _living_ with you? I don't even _know_ you!"

"I don't know _you_ either," he replied smoothly. "Seems like we're in the same boat here."

"Well," she sighed then smiled, "I appreciate the shelter. Thank you."

"You shouldn't say that until you meet my parents," he told her with a sigh.

She held her hand over her mouth with a dramatic gasp, "I get to meet your parents before the _date_?!"

Shikamaru just rolled his eyes. _She'll be an interesting guest._

He watched, stuffing his hands in his pants pockets, as the girl grabbed Gaki's reins. They walked through the streets of Konoha with everyone staring at the new girl with the curious horse. He noticed that in some moments, Mizuko would scoot closer him as more eyes glued themselves to her.

_Is she nervous_? Shikamaru questioned silently. _This girl seems more like a danger to herself more than to Konoha. I can't be too relaxed with her, but I doubt she has a grudge against the village with how much she's hiding behind me like a frightened child._

It was true, too. Mizuko had grabbed the sleeve of his shirt, clinging to it like a lifeline. He'd glance down at her to see the concern in her eyes. Was she worried about acceptance maybe? She acted like a rabbit in a lion pit. He also noticed her eyes looking a little puffy, like she'd been crying or something earlier. Obviously it had been before she got to the village.

"_It's okay,_" he whispered to her. "_We don't bite... much._"

It was then that she released his sleeve and crossed her arms under her chest, whispering back at him in a harsh tone, "_I'm not scared!_"

"Sure you're not," he said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"_Shikamaru!_"

Mizuko squeaked like a mouse before jumping behind him.

Chuckling, Shikamaru looked ahead to find his best friend running towards them. Shikamaru lifted a hand from his pocket and waved. Choji closed the distance between them soon, peering over his shoulder curiously.

Choji's eyes opened slightly, "Is that her?"

"Yep," Shikamaru replied.

Choji leaned to the side, speaking to the girl behind him like she were a child, as he grinned, "It's okay. I won't hurt you."

She looked at him from over Shikamaru's shoulder then glanced at Shikamaru himself. It were as though she wanted his approval before replying.

"Choji's a big softie," he sighed. "He wouldn't hurt anything other than food."

"_Hey-!_"

Choji cut himself short when Mizuko giggled.

She stepped out from behind Shikamaru and did a little curtsy, "It's nice to meet you, Choji."

"Mizuko, this is my best friend, Choji Akamichi," Shikamaru introduced. "Choji, this is the new girl, Mizuko Kurosawa, and her horse, Gaki."

Choji seemed slightly mesmerized by the girl, though. His eyes wide and jaw dropped. He pulled Shikamaru to the side, a short distance away from Mizuko. There was a light blush on his friend's face.

"_Hey, Shikamaru,_" Choji whispered in Shikamaru's ear with his hand cupping the side of his mouth, "_she's kinda cute._"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes, "_She's probably like Ino. She's too skinny, and she's a bit weird._"

"_Weird?_"

Shikamaru told Choji about how the girl entered the gates singing. He told him about how she fell off the horse, and how he had to catch her. How Mizuko was clinging to him like a lost child. Choji grinned slightly, watching him with a _look_ in his eyes.

"Well," Choji said finally as he turned to look at Mizuko, "if you think about it, she is a lost child in a way. She's in unknown territory. She's probably thinking that if she's going to be living with you, then she should try to feel safest around you."

Shikamaru hadn't thought of that.

"I guess," he replied. "What a drag... Why do I always get stuck with the troublesome ones?"

There was a growling sound, causing Shikamaru to look in the direction of it. He saw Mizuko holding her stomach with an embarrassed blush. The two boys walked back over to her and the horse as another growl erupted from her midriff.

Choji grinned, "Hungry?"

"I guess I forgot to eat with all the packing I had to do this morning," she sweat dropped as a nervous smile graced her mouth.

"Let's get your stuff to the house, then I'll take you out to eat something," Shikamaru offered.

_That is_, he thought, if _she eats. She could still be an Ino replica. Well, looks like I'll find out soon. It'd be a pain if we had another girl that starved herself for her appearance. Choji and I are already trying to break Ino.  
_

"Hey, can I come?" Choji looked at Shikamaru with begging eyes.

Shikamaru turned to the new girl, "Would it be all right with you? I wouldn't want to you to feel uncomfortable."

"Sure," she smiled brightly. "The more the merrier."

"Great!" Choji fist pumped the air, "Then I'll see if Ino's on break. You know how she's been_ dying_ to see her, Shikamaru."

Choji ran off, leaving a curious Mizuko looking up at Shikamaru, "Ino?"

"She's our teammate," he explained simply. "She's troublesome, but you might like her."

"She sounds interesting," the girl seemed more relaxed now as she laced her hands together behind her back.

Shikamaru walked with both hands in his pockets as she walked in step with him. The stallion trotted behind them easily, playfully lipping Mizuko's bare shoulder from time to time. She'd pet his muzzle and whisper praising words to him. Shikamaru could tell that there was a connection between the two, like Kiba and Akamaru. They talked about each others' interests and hobbies as they continued towards his home.

He dreaded for the moment his parents saw her.

* * *

Mizuko had came to a halt when the Nara clan's ranch came into view. Shikamaru stopped a few steps ahead of her, noticing that she was missing, and turned back to look at her. Her eyes were sparkling as she looked ahead. Her jaw had dropped in awe.

It was a simple two-story building with a fenced pasture in the back that led towards the Nara forest. There were small stables a few feet away from the house within the gates.

Shikamaru had to ask, "Are you okay?"

"It's so..." She had to blink a couple times, "You actually _live_ here?!"

"Yeah," he told her. "Is that going to be a problem?"

She shook her head rapidly, "No, it's beautiful."

"Really?"

"Mmhm," she hummed. "I didn't think that your family raised deer. They're lovely creatures."

"The Nara clan is known for tending deer."

_And for being highly intelligent,_ he smirked proudly. _We use the deer antlers for medicines, but there's no way I'm telling her that just yet_.

"That's awesome!" She clapped her hands together, edging closer to him in amazement, "That's so cool. So, the deer aren't very skittish around your family then?"

"Nah, they're pretty use to us by now."

"Wow," her eyes grew dreamy.

"I'm guessing you like deer?" He raised a curious eyebrow.

She nodded, "They're very pretty to watch."

Gaki snorted.

"Oh, Gaki," she snorted in return, not bothering to look at him as she crossed her arms, "you know I love you more. Jealous thing, you."

The stallion playfully nipped at her ponytail, seeming satisfied with her reply. She swatted at him, which only made the horse whinny a laugh.

"So," Shikamaru cut in awkwardly with a cough, "Gaki will be staying in the fenced pasture along with the deer as long as he can get along with them."

Mizuko did look at the horse then, who tossed his head. She smiled and nodded as she turned back to him, "Yeah, Gaki is only a danger when someone's on his back. He's pretty cool with other creatures."

"Good." Shikamaru nodded to the stallion, "Want to put him in the pasture then? He's probably tired from the trip."

"Yeah," she replied. "He is, though, he wouldn't admit it."

The horse snorted at her again. She giggled as she took the reins and followed Shikamaru towards the gate that led into the tall grass area. He unlocked it then held it open for the girl as she slowly brought the gray steed in. He walked in and closed the gate behind him. Shikamaru watched as she unhooked the carriage from the horse.

The two of them dragged the heavy wooden carriage to the side of the house with the horse sticking to Mizuko's side. All of the deer in the pasture watched them with curiosity. Only one walked towards them, and that was Rikumaru. Shikamaru had been on decent terms with the specific buck.

"_Wow,_" her words were breathless as the buck neared them. "He's gorgeous..."

"That's Rikumaru," Shikamaru told her, nodding to him. "He's a good buck to have around. He's like the leader around here."

The deer walked up to Mizuko. She cautiously held her hand out to him for him to take in her scent for judgement. Shikamaru watched the exchange carefully. He knew he'd have to step in if the buck decided to attack her.

The deer pressed his nose against her palm before looking up at her face. Black orbs meeting sapphires. Shikamaru noticed something flicker between the two as the girl reached her hand to pet him. Rikumaru let her.

"He's so soft," she smiled, stroking the buck's jaw.

Shikamaru's voice stayed silent as he watched, but his mind raced. _Rikumaru accepted her. He doesn't normally like strangers..._ He glanced at the girl. _Is she really that innocent? She has an innocent exterior, but is she also on the interior? What if this is a mind trick that she's playing on him? I guess only time will tell at this point._

* * *

"So," Shikaku Nara, Shikamaru's father, gave Mizuko a once over as the girl stood bravely next to Shikamaru, "this is Miss Kurosawa?"

"Yes, sir." Mizuko smiled cockily to his father, which surprised the hell out of Shikamaru with how easily she adjusted, "I may not look like it, but I can kick some butt if I need to."

"That's what I like to hear in a girl!"

The three of them turned to see Shikamaru's mother, walking into the living room. She wiped her hands on her white apron then held one out to Mizuko. She smiled kindly to the older woman, shaking her hand.

"What a lovely woman, Shikarmaru," Mizuko looked over her shoulder at him.

"I'm his mother, Yoshino Nara," his mother blushed as she smiled at the compliment, "and I'd hardly call myself lovely."

Mizuko shook her head, the brunette ponytail swishing from side to side, before she winked, "You're right. You're a beautiful woman who's too young to have had a son Shikamaru's age."

"I like you already, Miss Kurosawa," Yoshino giggled.

Mizuko did her little curtsy, "Please, Mrs. Nara, just call me Mizuko."

Shikaku's eyes widened confusingly as he stared at the two females in the house. Shikamaru couldn't believe how easily she had won his mother over. It was normally hard to get on her good side. Shikamaru had always known his mother to be a crabby, strict woman that was always on his ass about _something_. Mizuko seemed to have proved him wrong because the two were laughing like old friends.

Shikaku leaned over, whispering to Shikamaru, "_How'd she do that?_"

"_I have no idea,_" Shikamaru replied.

"_She's a keeper,_" the elder Nara grinned.

"_Not this again,_" Shikamaru sighed, bringing his palm to his forehead.

"Um..." Mizuko suddenly showed her shy side again, seeming hesitant, as she fiddled with her skirt, "Since I'm suppose to be living here for the time being, where am I suppose to sleep?"

The three of them blinked simultaneously. None of them had thought of where she was going to sleep. They didn't have any guest rooms to offer because the one that they did have was turned into his father's study. Mizuko must've known, too.

"I could always sleep on the couch," she offered. "I have no problem with it as long as I have a blanket and pillow."

"Oh, no, you don't." Yoshino put her hands on her hips, "_Shikamaru_ can sleep on the couch. Mizuko, you can take his room for the time being."

"Oh, that's okay!" She waved her arms frantically, nearly hitting Shikamaru in the face a few times. "I wouldn't want to take someone's room from them."

Shikaku grinned wider, putting a hand on his son's shoulder, "I doubt Shikamaru would mind having such a pretty girl sleeping in his bed instead of him for awhile."

"And he'll be sleeping on the couch _away_ from her," Yoshino said sternly.

Mizuko's worried eyes found his.

"It's a drag," he sighed, scratching the back of his head, "but it's fine. I don't mind the couch at all."

"Then it's settled," Yoshino took the girl's hands in her own. "I'm so glad to have another sensible girl in this house with me."

Mizuko giggled, "It'll be interesting, Mrs. Nara."

"Oh, please." Yoshino flared her nostrils in a silent snort, "Call me Yoshino."

The two giggled again, leaving the two Nara males stumped by their sudden friendship.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE (A/N):**

**'Sup, ladies and gents. I decided I'd have Mizuko be able to use her voice since each person in the Sound Village has something to do with sound, or the vibrations that create sound. It seems like a pretty cool idea. At the end of each chapter that I have Mizuko singing in, I'll post a YouTube link of the song so you could get an idea of how she sings it if you don't already know the song. Also, the lullaby that Mizuko sings for Aiji is one that I came up with c: Thank you very much for viewing my ShikaMizu fanfic, and please enjoy!**

**_Kisses of the Sun_ by ATC: ( watch?v=ry1Rx6_KuSU)**


	4. Out to Lunch

I sighed, unzipping one of many suitcases I had in the carriage. Yoshino had Shikaku and Shikamaru carry them up to Shikamaru's room since I'd be sleeping in there for the time being. I felt bad about him sleeping on the couch, but Yoshino obviously didn't. I grabbed a few shirts of mine and refolded them, placing them in one of two drawers that Shikamaru had so kindly cleared out for me. His room was neat and clean, probably got yelled at by his mother to clean it.

I added a few bottoms to the drawer. I went back to the suitcase and zipped it up before shoving it under his bed. There was a nice amount of room under there. I could fit about six suit cases underneath, which was all I had with me. I went to the window, looking up at the bright blue sky.

_Despite his complaining, Shikamaru really is a sweetheart,_ I thought with a smile._ He's kind of cute, too. I wonder what he looks like without the ponytail on.._. I quickly shook my head._ This isn't the time to be a teenage girl, Mizu. Remember the mission. Play innocent, get the things I need, observe the locals, report... _I felt myself grin a little._ Still, it would be nice to see what kind of guy his is. Sasuke told me that he was pretty smart.  
_

I giggled girlishly at the thought.

"What seems to be so funny?"

I turned around to find Shikamaru carrying two of my suitcases with a question mark look clearly on his face. His eyes looked tired, but they held a type of amusement in them.

"Nothing really," I smiled. "I was just thinking about an old friend."

Shikamaru's eyes went to the ground. I watched him bend, pick up a white paper, and look at it. He tilted his head a little before handing it out to me, "Is this the friend?"

I looked at him curiously before shifting my gaze to the paper. I gasped, snatching it from Shikamaru's hands in a heartbeat. It was a picture of Aiji and me. We both were smiling with my arms wrapped around his shoulders and my chin on his head. His hands held my forearms. Neither of us wore our headbands for the photo as a symbol that we would one day escape from the Sound. There was such happiness in the photo that tears pricked at my eyes.

_Soon, my Aiji._ I thought quietly. _Hopefully, I'll be able to see you again soon._

"I'm sorry," I heard Shikamaru say. "I didn't mean to offend you in anyway."

I shook my head, smiling, as I wiped the tears away before they could spill over, "No offense. It's just... This is my most special person."

Shikamaru walked over until he stood right in front of me. His eyes searched my own, seeing the truth behind my words, "Is he related to you?"

"No," I lowered my lashes slightly, "but he's like a younger brother to me. His name is Aiji."

"I see," he said softly. "Why didn't he come with you?"

"He had to stay with his own family," I lied.

_Had I been able to take Aiji with me, I would've faster than Sasuke could call me a Mer-brat._ I told myself, staring at the photo. _Damn that Orochimaru. Damn him and everyone in that cursed Sound Village. My Aiji... My poor Aiji..._

I felt tears surface my eyes again.

As I went to wipe them away, a hand got to it before I could. I looked up at Shikamaru in shock. He had just met me today, and he's wiping away my tears? Tears over me missing my little Aiji, but still. I stared at him.

"It's troublesome for a pretty girl to start crying," he looked away as if he were embarrassed. After a moment of silence, he turned back to me, "Anyway, I understand if you don't want to tell me. We've only just met, so it's understandable."

My jaw dropped.

He _knew_ I was lying!

I opened my mouth to say something to him, but my stomach growled before I could get anything out. I felt a flush of heat enter my cheeks from the humiliation.

"So," Shikamaru chuckled as he carefully, like a precious gem, took the photo from me and placed it on his nightstand, "ready for that lunch?"

I nodded vigorously.

"Let's go then," he grinned a little. "Choji and Ino should be heading over there right about now."

He shoved his hands in his pockets again as he turned his back to me, walking towards the door. It seems like he made a habit of doing that. I followed after him. We went down the stairs to find his father sitting on the couch reading the paper.

Without looking up, Shikaku's raspy voice asked, "Going somewhere with our guest, Shikamaru?"

"Yeah," he replied, "I'm going to take her to lunch so she could meet the team."

"All right." I could hear the teasing tone in the father's voice, "Let us know if this girl has an _appetite_. It'd be a first with the kunoichi around here lately. It's a diet epidemic."

"Well, for your information, I bet I could eat _more_ than you!" I put my hands on my hips, sticking my tongue out at the back of the man's head.

This time he did look over his shoulder at me, raising an amused eyebrow, as he laughed, "I doubt you could eat more than an Akamichi."

I shook my fist with a cocky smile, "I'd take one on."

I felt Shikamaru's eyes on me so I whirled around so quickly that he jerked back in surprised. I crossed my arms under my chest, pouting. The boy blinked, raising a curious eyebrow at me. It was like he was asking what he had done to suddenly make me upset.

"She reminds me of your mother," Shikaku laughed.

Shikamaru sighed, slipping on his shoes, "No kidding. Now I understand how they got along so quick."

I stuck my tongue out at him as I strapped my heels to my ankles. He rolled his eyes at me as he held the door open. We gave our farewells to Shikaku before Shikamaru shut the door.

_Aww,_ I thought, _he held the door open for me... Such a gentleman when alone. Now let's see how he acts with his friends_.

* * *

Shikamaru had been walking lazily next to me with his hands in his pockets. I was basically skipping the whole time to the restaurant, receiving unusual looks from the locals. The familiar faces that I might have seen earlier when I was hiding behind Shikamaru had to do a double take. I chuckled at their reactions.

_I might as well have a little fun._ I smiled to myself._ It'd be nice to know which ones to fight with, or watch for mostly._

It wasn't very long before we came to a building labelled as _Yakiniku Q_. I looked up at the tall boy curiously. He simply gave me a nod before holding the door open for me again. I walked in to be instantly welcome by warmth from the grills and the smells of sizzling meat that could make a vegetarian's mouth water. The restaurant was large with wide windows, multiple green-seated booths (though some tables allowed customers to sit down on the floor with green cushions as their seats), and menus plastered on the walls. Due to their Gyū-Kaku-style, each table has a charcoal brazier built in the center and is equipped with tongs for cooking.

"Shikamaru!"

Both of our heads turned at the feminine voice to find a blue-eyed blond in a purple outfit waving at us, or more likely him. Her hair was scary similar to my own, except on the opposite side and I had more bangs that her. Her outfit was _far_ different from mine, though. I had most of myself covered, and she had less... clothing. She wore a short, purple, sleeveless blouse that just covered her throat to the bottom of her ribs. Her stomach was bare until an open-front purple apron-skirt over a shorter, black skirt, with fishnet shorts underneath covered to his mid-thigh. The girl had fishnets over her elbows and knees. I saw no headband on her. She was skinny like a twig.

There were two more people around the girl as we neared them. One was Choji, of course.

The other was another familiar face amongst the three shinobi. He was a tall man (I could tell despite the fact he was sitting), with brown eyes. He had short, black spiky hair, and beard. His clothing consisted of the standard Konoha ninja uniform with the sleeves rolled up half way, a flak jacket, regular shinobi sandals and a forehead protector. He also wore the Twelve Guardian Ninja sash that had the kanji for "Fire" (火) marked on it around his waist, a pair of black bangles and bandages wrapped around the arms of his sleeves. He was sitting next to the blond girl.

"A..." I felt my eyes widen at the older man as they all stared at me like a mutant, "Asuma...?"

The elder man smiled with a cigarette clenched between his teeth, "Long time no see, Miss Mermaid."

I gave a frustrated growl before putting my hands on my hips, "Did you not listen to a _word_ I told you the first time we met, mister? I told you that smoking could kill you! You're basically putting tar into your lungs."

The three sixteen year olds, his students, stared wide-eyed at me.

"I was hoping you'd forget that part," Asuma sweat dropped as he offered a nervous grin. "I remember the waterlily at least."

I rolled my eyes at him as Shikamaru gestured for me to sit next to the red boy. I easily slid next to him with Shikamaru sitting to my left. The body heat from the two plus the grills were therapeutic for my raging nerves.

The red boy smiled at me, light pink dusting on his cheeks, "So we meet again, Mizuko."

"Hey, Cho-"

"I'm Ino Yamanaka," the blond interrupted with a bright smile.

I smiled politely from Choji to the female, "It's nice to meet you. I'm guessing you've already heard, but my name is Mizuko Kurosawa."

"_Ino's been dying to meet you,_" Shikamaru leaned close to my ear. "_She says that she needs another girl in town because the girls around town don't really talk to her much._"

I whispered back to him, "_Oh, this will be fun then._"

"Oh, _Mizuko_," she smiled, sparkles shining in her cerulean eyes, "how _do_ you keep that figure? What diet are you on? I _have_ to try it out!"

Well, now I understood why they wouldn't talk to her.

I jerked my head back at the girl, staring at her in question, "I eat real food."

"What?" She did her own double take, "You eat greasy food?"

"Mmmhm," I hummed, taking a plate from the tower and filling it as high as Choji's had gotten. "The best kind of food is junk food."

They all stared wide-eyed at me.

"What?" I asked, separating my chopsticks from each other and taking a slice of meat, "Real food is better than no food any day."

Ino snorted, "If you eat like that, then you're _bound_ to get chubby."

"Not really," I told her, "I've been eating like this since for, like, four years. Once in awhile I'll gain a pound, but I usually lose three by the end of the day."

Ino's eyes nearly bulged out of her head as she grabbed my hand with the chopsticks, and the meat, in it before I could bite, "Tell me your secret!"

I tried eating biting at the meat as I explained, "I just... train... a lot..."

"Ino," Asuma came to my rescue, "let the girl eat."

"Yeah," Shikamaru said to his teammate. "A girl's more attractive if she has a bit of an appetite."

"Well," Ino explained, releasing me so I could finally eat the dang thing, "a _girl_ has to work harder than a guy to maintain her figure. A guy isn't going to want to go for a girl if she's overweight, and vice versa."

She glanced at Choji for a second.

"That's outrageous," I snorted my reply.

"How so?"

"Well," I sat back, pushing my empty plate away from me as they all stared at me, "from what I could observe from the moment I saw both of them, I got this. A skinny guy like Shikamaru here, yeah. He should be able to get girls because of the cold, 'back off' aura he gives off. It's easy for a girl to see him as a high-rank bad boy of the Leaf. On the other hand, Choji here would be able to get them, too. He's got meat on his bones, sure, but that just means he'd be a comfy pillow. He's sweetheart, too. Choji also seems like he'd be leaning more towards strength, which would mean he's a protector. Shikamaru, if he wants to be, could be an agility type to become the distraction, but I doubt it since he has a bit of a lazy exterior about him, too. Either way, I'd be able to go for either one of them."

"I..." Ino's seemed thoughtful, "I never really thought of it that way..."

Choji looked at me, "You'd go for a chubby guy?"

"Totally," I said with a smile. "They're like giant teddy bears."

Shikamaru was watching me curiously, "You learned all that already?"

"Besides," I nodded with a smile, "I think Choji would tell me whether or not my cooking sucks. He seems more like the type to taste his food instead of completely inhaling it like I do." I gestured to the empty plate.

Asuma chuckled, "So, you're an analytical ninja then?"

"Analyzing and manipulations are my specialty, but I only use the second during battle or if I _really_ need something," I said innocently. "But I normally win people over easily."

All but Shikamaru gave me skeptical looks.

"All right," I asked them, "who's the most stone-faced waiter here?"

"That guy over there," Ino pointed, frowning. "My seductions couldn't even break him _or_ my puppy eyes."

Asuma rolled his eyes, "We were trying to get him to send us another round of beef for Choji here, but he was saying how the owner said we've had too much."

"Let me at him," I smirked.

Shikamaru got slid out of the seat for me to exit.

I walked over to the waiter and smiled innocently, "Hello."


	5. Whispers

Shikamaru, along with the rest of Squad Ten, watched curiously as Mizuko had sauntered over to the stone-faced waiter and conversed with him for a bit. The waiter broke out into a smile, and he even _laughed_. In all the years that Shikamaru and his teammates had gone to the _Yakiniku Q_, or The Beef House as the team called it, they had never seen him show any kind of emotion.

"Looks like she's still got a way with people," he heard Asuma say.

Shikamaru turned to see Ino's eyes blazing with jealousy at the fact that the new girl had won. Choji and Asuma were sharing amused looks from their female teammate's attitude.

"This is going to be a drag," he sighed, causing his teammates to look at him. "If she's an analytical ninja, then that just complicates things for me. I'm suppose to be observing her for Lady Tsunade to make sure she wouldn't be an enemy sneaking their way into the village."

"She doesn't seem like she'd have a grudge against the village, Shikamaru," Choji said, watching Mizuko from over his shoulder. "She's a little weird, sure, but she doesn't have an evil thing about her. Mizuko seems like your typical Konoha kunoichi actually."

Ino glared at him, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"When we first met," Asuma said spoke before an argument could start, "she didn't either. She just seemed like a sweet teenage girl watching the lake and fiddling with flowers. It was nothing strange about it. She just reminded me of most of the girls in Konoha."

Shikamaru noticed how Asuma kept using past tense verbs, "But...?"

"I've always wondered why that criminal turned himself in when he saw the flower," Asuma told them. "How could he have even known it was by her? He turned himself in saying that he'd rather rot in jail than be under the Mermaid's spell."

"Mermaid's spell?" Ino asked curiously.

"That's one of her nicknames," Choji pointed out with his chopsticks.

"Yeah," Shikamaru nodded, "but that doesn't explain how she'd be fearful..."

"Well, did you noticed anything weird, Shikamaru?" Asuma asked his student.

"She's a bit bipolar in my opinion," Shikamaru rested his elbow on the table then his cheek in his palm. "When she first came into the village, she was singing like a pop star. We started going to my house, and she clung to me like a frightened child surrounded by predators. Finally, when we came her, she skipped down the streets like she didn't have a care in the world."

"Yeah," Choji nodded, "she looked terrified when I first saw her. Now she doesn't seem like it. It's like someone flipped her switch."

"We've lived in the same village as_ Naruto_ for how long?" Ino asked before she took a sip of water. "She doesn't seem so bad. I like her, but she's _so_ not hotter than I am."

The team rolled their eyes at her.

"She might have been a bit nervous," Asuma replied. "She probably wanted to see how the residents reacted, and since you probably reacted favorably to her, she clung to you. She did the same to me before the mission ended. Lady Tsunade told you that her village was abusive towards her, right? She was probably scared that the Leaf might treat her the same way. After she saw no one would harm her, she showed her true self a little."

"Hm..." Shikamaru thought it over for a moment.

"Anyway," Choji looked back at the table, lowering his voice, "_don't you have to take her to Lady Hokage for the interrogation with the ANBU? How do you think she's going to take that?_"

"_I'm planning on taking her after lunch,_" Shikamaru told her. "_If she's planning anything, the ANBU will take care of her. If she's not, then she's probably going to be taking care of me._"

"_Have you seen her temper already, Shikamaru?_" Asuma raised a curious eyebrow.

"_No,_" he sighed, "_but she and my mom are acting like old friends. I've seen my mom's temper, but I don't want to know about hers._"

"_Well, it's all about chances,_" Ino grinned. "_Either way, you're screwed, Shikamaru._"

"_I can feel the love, Ino,_" he rolled his eyes.

"_Relax,_" Choji told him. "_She doesn't seem like a bad person. We'll just see how things go._"

"_I guess._"

"He said he'd sneak us another plate of beef after he finishes the order I interrupted," Mizuko's voice appeared right next to him. He looked up to see the girl smiling down at him, "So, how'd I do?"

"Marry me," Choji's eyes sparkled in admiration for the girl.

She giggled, "Sorry, Choji, I already have someone special in my life."

"Oooo," Ino purred. "You_ have_ to tell me about him later!"

"We'll see, Ino," she said as Shikamaru moved so she could return to her spot between him and Choji. "So, is there anywhere a girl could get a nice, long bath?"

"There's the hot springs," Asuma offered. "The water's pulled from a small waterfall, but it's a relaxing place for visitors."

"Oh, that sounds lovely," she clapped her hands together, sapphire eyes sparkling. "I'd love to check it out. From all the training I'd do in my old village, there was never enough time to relax my aching muscles."

_She really is an interesting one, though._ Shikamaru told himself. _I wonder what kind of training she went under. Tsunade said that she was moving to Konoha because Amegakure was abusive towards her... I wonder why_._  
_

"Well," Asuma rang in, "how about you join me, Choji, and Ino for training after Shikamaru takes you to the Hokage? Sound like fun?"

She sighed miserably, "I've been dreading seeing the Hokage. I heard that she's got a bad temper... and she has quite a few gambling debts."

"She does," Ino rolled her eyes. "It's unbelievable how much she loses."

"Really?" Mizuko giggled, "Anyway, yeah, training sounds like fun."

"After we make our errand," Shikamaru said.

She leaned against Shikamaru like her body had turned to lead, "Then you _must_ take me to those hot springs. Please? Pretty please? Pretty please with sugar on top?"

Shikamaru sighed, "How troublesome..."

His teammates laughed as the stone-faced waiter came over to them with a big plate of beef slices and a smile, "Here you go, milady."

"Oh, thank you, Seichi," she batted her eyelashes at him. "You truly _are_ a savior. I've been_ dying_ to try these since I got here. I heard that this place was simply the best, and the waiters aren't that bad either." She winked at him.

"You really are a strange one, Miss Mizuko," the waiter chuckled. "If you ever need help with anything, you know where to find me."

"Thanks a bunch!" She sent him a toothy grin as he walked away.

"Okay," Ino held her hands up before anyone could go after the food, "what the_ hell_ was _that_?"

"What?" Mizuko looked at her curiously.

She gestured to the waiter then to Mizuko, "_That!_"

"I made a bet with him that if I could get him to laugh, then he'd bring over food for us." Mizuko grinned, "Obviously, I won."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at her, "What did you say to him?"

"Oh, nothing really." She watched Choji placed the slices on the grill, "I just did one of the stupidest dances in front of the restaurant while you guys turned your backs to talk about me, then I made a funny face and he cracked up."

Shikamaru's eyes widened a bit. _She knew we were talking about her? How? When?_

As though she could read his thoughts, she answered, "Who _wouldn't_ talk about the new girl? Especially after everything that's been going on with the village. I've heard all kinds of stories from my wanderings. You guys keep a guard up around me, but you don't want to make it too noticeable for me to realize and then for me run out of the village if I were to make any plans. It's cool. I understand. It's a smart move, but you might want to work on it a little."

"Damn," Ino's own eyes widened as Choji's jaw dropped before he could get a meat slice in.

Asuma's cigarette fell out of his mouth, but Mizuko quickly caught it in the ashtray before it could get everywhere, "Yeah, it's not too hard to figure out. Sorry if I messed up your plan."

"Well," Asuma said, "question is, are you going to fight or flight?"

"Neither," she replied simply, placing the ashtray on the table before grazing her eyes over each one of them. "I said I understood it, but not that I was part of it. I came to Konoha for a new start. I want to go to the Hokage and prove it to her. Then I want to train with you guys for a bit. Then I want to go to the hot springs and soak my aching muscles in the water. Then I want to sleep. I don't want to plan against Konoha."

There was something in that last sentence that made Shikamaru want to believe her. He didn't quite understand why, but he could hear the sincerity in her voice. It was that sincerity that made him feel a little bad about thinking that she would do something. She didn't seem like a bad person. Like Choji had said, a little odd but not bad.

_No,_ Shikamaru told himself, staring at Mizuko as she and the others went into a different conversation,_ just because she says she wouldn't want to... doesn't mean she wouldn't if she had to. If someone had dirt on her, she might shift those words in a second. We don't know anything about this girl yet, so we have to continue playing nice until we get word from the ANBU. There's just something about her that strikes me as off.._.

"All right," Choji grinned. "The meat's ready, so it's time to eat!"

"Every last bite," Mizuko giggled.

"No one could take the last bite from Choji," Asuma warned her as he lit a new cigarette, taking a drag from it.

"It's true," Shikamaru replied. "I have never seen anyone able to take the last bite of anything from this kid."

She looked at Choji, a gleam in her eyes, "Is that a bet?"

"Do you want it to be?" Choji's eyes also shined in competition.

"Hell, yeah, pretty boy," she fish pumped her chopsticks in the air.

"On my mark," Ino held her napkin like it was a flag.

Both of them raised their chopsticks in their hands. Mizuko in her left and Choji in his right. They seemed to have been itching in suspense as they stared at the sizzling meat. Shikamaru and Asuma watched them out of curiosity, but they knew she would easily be defeated. She may have a bottomless stomach, but there's no way she'd take Choji's final bite.

Ino waved her napkin, "Begin!"

Hell broke loose as the two chowed down at an amazing speed. Shikamaru was barely able to keep a visual on their hand movements. Every few seconds, he'd hear the wooden chopstick hit against each other as the two went at it. People were starting to stare in wonder and awe as they watched Choji Akamichi defend his title against Mizuko Kurosawa. Asuma's new cigarette was nearly falling out of his opened mouth, and Ino's eyes were bugling out of her head at the sight.

They got to the final slice.

Choji went straight for it only to get blocked by Mizuko. Their chopsticks continued clicking against each other, looking like a mixture of dancing and Taijutsu combat. They continued like that for awhile until Choji got another opening. He went for it.

Mizuko smiled, "Sorry, but you just fell for my trap."

Before Choji could even touch it, Mizuko slammed her chopsticks on his. They snapped in half as she scooped up the slice. A victory smile was clear on her face. Shikamaru leaned back to look at his best friend, seeing the defeat on his face as his expression fell.

Mizuko held the chopsticks to Choji, "Say ah."

The three of them looked at the girl in complete confusion. Choji's jaw dropped in surprise. Mizuko took the moment to put the final meat slice in his mouth before shutting it for him. She placed the chopsticks neatly on the plate in front of her and smiled.

"What..." Ino tried to speak.

Choji swallowed before finishing for her, "Was that?"

Shikamaru and Asuma were speechless at the scene.

"I ate too quickly," she told him, holding her stomach, "so I've got a bit of a stomach ache now. I figured that I'd rather forfeit than try to eat another bite. Besides, Choji here might need the extra stamina for training."

"Yeah," Choji blushed, scratching the back of his head, "thanks a lot."

Shikamaru was still in shock that Choji had actually_ lost_.

"Mizuko," Asuma spoke, taking a puff of his cigarette, "I heard that you were clinging to Shikamaru when you came here."

Shikamaru didn't think he'd be able to see it, but her cheeks flushed into a light pink as she turned to look at him, "Yeah, sorry about that, Shikamaru."

"Um," he was at a loss. "No problem."

"When I get nervous, I have a tendency to hide from people," she smiled nervously. "I blame my village for it. It takes a bit for me to trust someone. I'll act comfortable around them if I think they won't hurt me," she gestured to Shikamaru, "but I keep my guard up like you guys."

"Understandable," Asuma nodded, "but if you plan on living here, you might want to open up a bit more."

"I guess," she shrugged. "Anyway, I think it's about time I go see the Hokage for my registration. I can't wait for those hot springs. There never were any in Amegakure due to the constant one would want to take a bath in the rain. That's a fever waiting to happen."

They chuckled at her little statement.

"Aww," Ino pouted out her lower lip. "Promise to go shopping with me later!"

Mizuko smiled, "Sure, Ino. A little girl time sounds like a lot of fun."

Shikamaru slid out of the booth so Mizuko could join him. He noticed she placed a small pouch of coins on the table before heading towards the door. He looked at her curiously, but she only pointed towards the exit then held the finger to her lips.

"Bye, Seichi," she called, waving to the waiter before leaving.

Shikamaru followed in suit after hearing a quick, "Good bye, Mizuko!"

"Okay," Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"I figured that I'd help Asuma pay for lunch since I took part in it," she shrugged as she skipped along side him. "I remember him telling me about how his students were his most precious beings to him aside from his nephew and mother, but they sucked the cash out of him like a vacuum when they went to celebrate."

Shikamaru's eyes widened slightly at her words, "Really?"

"Mmmhm," she hummed happily. "I understand how he feels, though. If anything were to happen to my Aiji..." Her skipping slowed to a walk then a stop, "I don't know what would happen to me if he was hurt."

Shikamaru paused a little ahead of her and looked back. She wasn't crying this time, but there was a grim look on her face as if she was thinking of a million possibilities that could happen. Shikamaru didn't know how to comfort a girl. What he did earlier was out of instinct, like his body controlled itself.

He gave a sigh, walking until he was right in front of her, and tapped her head with his hand, "Don't worry too much about it. I'm sure the kid is fine."

She jumped, startled by the gesture. She looked up at him, searching his eyes for something. The girl smiled up at him, "Yeah, you're right. I was his teacher after all. He knows how to take care of himself."

"His teacher, huh?" Shikamaru smirked, "I heard that you were a Chūnin, not a Jōnin."

She shook her head as they started to walk again, "I am a Chūnin, but there was something about the kid that the 'Kage let me keep him. You were right when you caught my lie earlier. He _is_ still in my old village, but not with his parents. I honestly don't know where they are, but they're probably dead. I found him on the brink of death near one of my hideaway spots. I fixed him up with what I had and carried him home on my back. From that point, the kid wouldn't leave me alone until I became his teacher. He said he wanted to become stronger. I went to the 'Kage to ask permission, and I was granted."

"I see," Shikamaru took it in. "So, you saved the kid's life. Why didn't you bring him with you?"

"I couldn't," she replied simply. "I wasn't allowed."

Shikamaru figured he wouldn't pressure her into talking anymore. It was obviously an emotional topic that she would tell him when she was ready. They continued talking as they walked towards the huge red tower where the Hokage did her studies.

* * *

Mizuko was laughing at him because he was explaining how he had been escorting Temari around for the Chūnin Exams coming up. Shikamaru figured she was laughing at how many times he called her troublesome, but he didn't mind. It was better to have the girl laughing than upset. She looked better with a smile.

They climbed the final few steps up of the Hokage Tower when Mizuko dramatically fell to her hands and knees, "How many stairs does this woman _need_? I mean, come _on!_"

"What about all that training you were talking about earlier?" Shikamaru chuckled at her dramatic state, "I figured this would be fine for someone of your level in energy."

She gave him an unamused look, "Oh, ha, ha. I could probably kick your ass at swimming any day, deerling."

He looked at her questioningly, "_Deerling?_"

"Well, the Nara clan deals with deer and your first name means_ deer boy_," she smirked, "so I'm calling you deerling."

He sighed, "Great. You're going to be troublesome, too."

"You got that right," she laughed, getting to her feet.

_Well,_ he thought, _this girl is pretty amusing in her own way. She's not bossy like Sakura and Ino, but she's not overly quiet like Hinata. She's got an outgoing personality that seems to put other people in a good mood naturally._ He noticed she was looking up at the sky. His gaze followed, but there were nothing but puffy white clouds in the big blue. _Hm... A cloud watcher, too, huh?_ A smile found its way on his lips. _She might not be so bad after all... I just dread her reaction when she realizes what's going to happen..._

"Mizuko," he called, getting her attention as he beckoned her towards a door, "over here."

She walked over to him as he held the door open. She poked her head inside curiously, "Hey, this doesn't-"

He placed his hand on between her shoulder blades and pushed her forward before slamming the door shut. It automatically locked with a click. Shikamaru ignored the pounding against the door and the curse words being thrown at him through it. He sat on a bench just across the hall, putting his forearms on his thighs and letting his hands dangle as he began to wait.

_Sorry, Mizuko Kurosawa of the Rain._ He thought quietly. _You're a sweet girl and all, but we have to make sure before we could do anything more for you. Lady Tsunade needs to know what's ticking in that head of yours before she assigns the construction._


	6. Interrogation Unit

"Shikamaru, you _asshole!_" I banged my fist against the metallic door. "Just _wait_ until I get my hands on you when I figure out how the hell to get out of here!"

There was a cough from inside the room.

I turned to find three ANBU officers in the standard Konoha Black Ops uniform. The only way to tell the difference between the three were they're body sizes, hair, and the animal on their mask. Each one held the Leaf Village ANBU tattoo on their shoulder.

One, a female, was sitting calmly on the opposite side of a brown table place in the center of the metallic, white tile floored room. She had white jagged hair chopped to above her almost bare shoulders with periwinkle purple bangs curving the sides of her mask. She was slender, seeming to be in her late twenties or early thirties. The woman had a silver chain around her neck with a pendant in the shape of a paw print and a little sapphire gem in the center of it. Her mask was shaped as a wolf with pointed ears and purple markings. Two swords were strapped to her back.

Another, male, leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. He was very muscled like he worked out every day. He was a little taller than myself. I noticed a scar starting at his collarbone, stretching under the armor and fabric of his uniform. There was also a necklace on him, mask was the shape of a feline, but his was split perfectly in half. The right half was white like a regular mask, but the left was black. It was marked in the same shade of red as his hair, which was tied into a long ponytail that went just past his shoulder blades, like a tiger's stripes. He seemed about my age, actually. He had no weapons, but the florescent lighting of the room gleamed against his golden bracelet on his left wrist. It was a good three inches thick.

The third was just standing next to the female, ready to strike if needed. He was similar to the other male. Same height as the other, well-toned, lean, felines for mask. He had spiky black hair with long black bangs shaping the panther-like mask and a single strand curving under the left eye. There was a silver bar going through the cartilage of his right ear. He, too, had the silver necklace. His weapon of choice had been a short blade strapped to his lower back.

_What the hell's going on here?_ I questioned quietly, looking over the ANBU officers._ Why would I be put into a room with ANBU Black Ops unless._..

I felt my eyes bulge as the question blurted out. "Am I going to be killed?"

The tiger shook his head at me, "Do you even know why you're in this room?"

"_Obviously_ not," I placed my hands behind my back innocently as I leaned against the wall. "I wouldn't be asking if I was going to be assassinated if I knew."

The panther sighed. "You're here to be questioned."

"Jeez, man," the tiger replied, "why don't you just go home if you're going to be such a mood killer?"

"Shut _up_," the panther growled, tightening his hands into fists at his sides.

"Knock it off, you two," the female slammed her own fist on the table to show her authority. "We're on important business here!"

I quickly formed a chakra barrier around my mind while they bickered. It was the only way to make sure that if they decided to dissect my brain for information, they'd only receive what I wanted to give. It was the perfect way to keep my mission, and the Sound Village, a secret. I didn't need anyone poking at my head for things they didn't need to see. I wasn't a _complete_ idiot.

"Please," Wolf gestured to the chair on my side of the table, "have a seat."

Hesitantly, due to the sudden mood change, I walked over and sat down, "So, what's the interrogation for?"

"We'll be asking the questions, if you don't mind," Panther crossed his arms, seeming annoyed by his tone.

I sent him an unamused glance, "I was just being curious, geez._ Someone_ has a stick up their butt."

Tiger chuckled at my statement. Panther's head turned towards him before another growl started. There was some obvious tension between the two, but it wasn't enough for them to want to hurt each other... yet. They acted like brothers. I couldn't help but smile a little because it reminded me of Sasuke and I.

"Anyway," Wolf gave a frustrated groan, "we have documentation that you've lived in the village before Amegakure. Why did you leave?"

"I don't remember ever living in Konoha before now," I blinked at her, surprised. "I don't see how you could have documents saying so. I was born in Ame and lived there until I turned into a Chūnin and left."

"Why did you leave Ame?" Tiger's mask looked over at me.

I crossed my arms, becoming aggravated at the mention of the village, even after four years, as I leaned back in the chair, "I left because I was being _abused_ there. I was isolated from everyone. What was the point in being in a village where no one wants anything to do with you? You go on missions for your Kage, return to be paid, then go home to an empty shack of a house. No parents, no guardians, no friends, no _anything_. There was no one to give a child the love she needed, so why stay?"

I watched as Wolf scribbled down on a little notepad in front of her. Panther and Tiger just stood with their masks looking at me quietly. They must've been studying me like a new specimen.

"You're an orphan?" Panther asked suddenly.

I shrugged, "Pretty much. I never knew my parents, so you might have documentation on them living here before. I have no photographs of them, though. I don't even know their names. The only thing I had of my parents was a necklace that I left back in Ame. I was watched by an elder until I was about five."

"What happened then?"

"She died," I said flatly with no sense of emotion. "I ran the streets and was looked at as a pest. Once in awhile, a kind woman or man would see me trying to sneak into a bakery or something and buy something for me. There were very few kindhearted ones, but none of them wanted to bring in a child like me into their homes. I never understood why."

"If you're an Ame shinobi," Wolf flipped to a clear page on her notes, "then where's the typical umbrella that you would normally carry or your gas mask?"

"I left my umbrella at the Nara house," I said honestly. I did keep my umbrella when I left because it was a good weapon and a nice souvenir. I had no reason to get rid of it just yet, plus the fact that I was playing as an abused Amegakure ninja hoping to move worked perfectly. I shoved it under Shikamaru's bed with my suitcases. "I didn't feel threatened here, so I had no reason to bring it."

Tiger asked me an interesting question, "How can we be sure that your telling the truth?"

I shrugged again, "Do I have any reason to lie?"

_Honestly, I could lie if I wanted, but it's better to give them bits and pieces of the truth. It may not be the whole, but hopefully it would be enough to get them to believe me._ I chewed on my bottom lip._ I wanted to see if this village could possibly become a home if I were to ever get Aiji out of there. That was the main reason I signed up for this gig, other than the fact that Aiji was being held hostage. Now that I actually think about it, I'm not going to be accepted here once this is all over. I'll be part of their bingo book._ I mentally shook myself. _No, even if I were to become hunted, I could always have Aiji be saved. He wouldn't be part of anything._

Wolf's mask was watching at me for the past few moments. It was like she was trying to stare at me intently, but I couldn't tell because of how thin the slits for eyes were. I couldn't even tell you her eye color if I squinted.

I figured to ignore it for now. It didn't seem smart to start a staring contest with the clear leader of the room. She could sick her cats on me in a heartbeat if she wanted. It would be easy to cover it up by saying I was an intruder in attempt to attack the village.

_And in this case,_ I thought,_ I am. I can't think I'd be able to actually make friends here. There was no point. I can't make bonds. It would just become a distraction for me in the end, which would be bad for Aiji. I can't risk him for these people. Under no circumstances will I make bonds with these people until I get Aiji to safety... Meaning I have to continue with this idiotic suicide mission_.

My hand instinctively went to where my necklace use to be before I realized I had left it with Aiji. I shut my eyes for a moment, closing my hand into a fist over my chest, before looking up at each one of them and smiled sadly as I played my role, "Look, you guys can believe me or not. Either way, I wanted to come to this village for a new start. I met one of your ninja before, and he was really kind. I figured that if I came here, I could possibly find the feeling of existence. Like I said, I've been isolated most of my life already. I don't want to go back to it unless I have to. The people here are kind so far, cautious of course, but kind. I've heard stories of everything that Konoha has done for the Nations. I would be _honored_ to be able to call myself a shinobi of the Leaf Village. I just want a new start in my hell of a life."

I watched as the three looked at each other and nodded before Wolf spoke, "Thank you for your time, Miss Kurosawa. We'll discuss your answers with our Hokage then we'll decided on what's best. You will continue staying with the Nara clan on their ranch until further notice."

I stood to my feet and bowed to the waist, "Thank you for having me. I do hope things will turn out well, and I'll understand if they don't."

I hear the _click_ of the locks on the door. I turned to find it partially opened. With a quick wave to the ANBU officers, I walked out and into a figure. We both fell on our rear ends. Books spread the floor with a clatter from the clipboard hitting tile.

"Shikamaru..." I growled until I looked at the person.

It was a fair-skinned woman of average height and a slender built with black eyes and hair. Her hair is straight and shoulder-length with bangs that cover her ears and frame her face. She wore a long blueish-black kimono with white trimmings, held closed by a white obi, and open-toed sandals with low heels.

"M-Miss!" I stammered as I got to my knees, helping her pick up her books, "I'm so sorry, miss. I thought you were someone else for a moment."

"Oh," she laughed nervously as she took her books from me, "that's quite all right. I didn't think anyone would've been coming out of that roo..." Her eyes widened as she looked at me. "Hey, you're that Mizuko Kurosawa girl, right?"

"Boy," I sweat dropped, "I sure am famous around here, huh?"

"We were expecting a new girl in the village, so everyone's interested," the woman grinned. She held her hand out to me, "I'm Shizune, the Hokage's assistant."

"Nice to meet ya'," I grinned. "So, where were you running off to, if you don't mind my asking."

Her eye widened again, "Oh, no, I forgot! The Third Hokage's grandson locked himself in his room again!"

"I'm pretty good with kids," I offered.

"Great!"

She grabbed my wrist and dragged me down the hall to where I saw Shikamaru, two more ANBU, and an impatient blond woman tapping her foot. Shikamaru covered his face with one of his hands as he sighed. The ANBU were banging against the door. The woman was shouting orders.

"Lady Tsu-" Shizune started, but she was cut off.

"Get that kid out!" The frustration in the blond's voice was impeccable, "Who the hell upset him?!"

"We do not know, Lady Hokage," one ANBU with a bird-like mask turned to her. "We're terribly sorry."

"Lady Tsunade,-" She tried again.

"Save the apologies for when the kid is out!"

I snapped, "Will you guys just let the woman_ speak?!_"

They all turned towards me, looking at me like I was an alien. I crossed my arms and nodded to Shizune.

She released a thankful sigh, "Lady Tsunade, you need to get your paperwork done. I have more waiting for you in your office."

An irritated vein popped out on the woman's, Tsunade's, forehead as she shouted, "Well, I need to get this damn kid out!"

The two started shouting at each other like mother and daughter. I didn't see a family resemblance between the two, but you never know. They're heads were comically huge with how much they wanted to defeat the other in the screaming match.

I raised my hand quietly, "Um..."

"_What?!_" They shouted at me.

"I'm pretty good with kids," I said again.

Shizune's head returned to normal size, "Oh, yeah, that's why I brought you over here."

"Who is she?" Tsunade's eyes narrowed in a not really caring way.

"This is Mizuko Kurosawa," Shizune introduced as I curtsied. "She's the new resident."

"Well," Tsunade crossed her arms, "if you could get this kid out, then you're a keeper."

"What's his name?" I asked. I needed something to call the kid.

"Konohamaru."

"All right." I went over to the door and knocked twice before voicing my sweetest tone that normally was only spoken to small children, "Konohamaru, honey, why don't you come out for a bit?"

"_Go away, you hag!_"

A vein popped on my own forehead as my temper started to boil, but I took a deep breath and tried again.

"Sweetheart," I said sweetly, "can I come in then?"

"_Are you deaf?_ _I said go away!_"

I felt my lip twitch, "That's it. I'm sending in my soldiers."

Shikamaru looked at me curiously, "Soldiers?"

I smirked, "I'm going to show you guys a magic trick."

* * *

**_A/N: If you have read my lovely Rivalry Between Clans series, then you should be able to take a guess as to who the ANBU were. Yes, sometimes I do re-use characters. Konohamaru has a 'tude at the moment, too._**

**_If you, as in the readers, have any tips or such, I'd love to hear them. I do go through the reviews and take in the hints and tips that are given. Whether or not I actually react to them is another story, but I do look over them and consider it. So, thank you to those who have suggested to me c: I much appreciate it because this is a practice for when I plan to write real novels one day._**


	7. Tears of an Angel

Shikamaru handed over a bottle of water that the girl had ordered him to get (with permission from his Hokage, of course). He was curious to what she was going to, and so was the ANBU, Shizune, and Hokage, but he was going to stay cautious about it. They all watched as she uncapped it and pour about half the water on the floor. The girl placed her left hand in the puddle of water and made a hand-sign with her right. Her eyes were closed as she focused.

The water rippled at her touch, but it continued for several seconds until it rose, taking the shape of three females that were only about four to five inches high. The watery reflection faded as color came in to reveal them all being a miniature Mizuko. They all looked exactly like the girl sitting on the floor, except they had unique little features.

The one to the far left had a black version of Mizuko's outfit (even the skin tone had a grayish-tinge) with black bat-like wings sprouted from her back. She also had red devil horns and a tail that lashed impatiently. The small girl had her arms crossed, glaring up at Shikamaru like he was her worst enemy. It sort of reminded him of how Ino and Sakura use to look at each other before their own Chūnin Exams.

The one on the far right looked like a rainbow had thrown up on her as the shirt had the warmer color scheme (red, orange, and yellow) while the skirt had the cooler color scheme (green, blue, violet). She was bouncing with energy and couldn't seem to sit still. The girl's skin tone was pale like the original Mizuko, but there was more color in her cheeks. Her brunette hair even seemed tinted with the rainbow theme.

The one in the center, though, really caught his eye. She was the near exact copy of Mizuko herself. Only, this one had light blue, translucent fairy wings. It was like the water was her wings. Her attire was a slightly lighter shade than Mizuko's, but it was barely noticeable. She had a sweet smile with her fingers intertwined together in front of her.

The water figures looked up to the life-sized Mizuko and saluted her, "_Ma'am!_"

"Nana, Melody, Rain. Let's play a small tune for the child inside," she smiled to the three after opening her eyes. "He's upset, so let's try _that_ song, okay?"

The miniature clones nodded before they melted back into a puddle of water. Shikamaru watched with wide eyes as the water moved under the door as though the building had suddenly tilted. With a deep breath, the original Mizuko shut her eyes once again. A muffled piano playing a rather sad-sounding melody was heard from inside the room. She opened her mouth... and she her lips formed words, but there was no sound coming from them.

"_Cover my eyes,_  
_Cover my ears,_  
_Tell me these words are a lie._  
_It can't be true,_  
_That I'm losing you,_  
_The sun cannot fall from the sky._"

Inside, though, one of the miniatures were singing. Shikamaru looked down to what was left of the puddle of water to find a reflection from inside. There were two of the clones in sight along with a shaking Konohamaru that was curled up in the corner of the room. There was a small piano being played by the darker clone, Nana. The one that had been in the center of the three, Melody, had her eyes closed with her small hands clasped to her chest as the song escaped her lips with ease. That meant they were seeing through Rain's eyes.

"_Can you hear heaven cry_,  
_The tears of an angel_?  
_The tears of an aaaangel... _  
_The tears of an angel_,  
_The tears of an aaaangel._"

Slowly, Konohamaru looked up with tear streaks stretching from his eyes to his jaw. More tears were bubbling at his glassy, and slightly mesmerized, eyes. He watched the trio of girls quietly as he stay curled up. Melody kept her position, not moving closer to the boy.

"_Stop every clock,_  
_Stars are in shock,_  
_The river won't run to the sea._  
_I wont let you fly,_  
_I wont say good-bye,_  
_I wont let you slip away from me._"

It was then that Melody stretched her hand out to him. Konohamaru's eyes went wide with curiosity, but he stayed cautious since he didn't know who or what the creatures were. In all actuality, the smaller ones reminded Shikamaru of pixies, like the ones he use to hear about in stories. He gaze went from the reflection to Mizuko, noticing how she seemed very connected with the water she was touching. It was almost like they were spiritually drawn to each other. The water rippled around her unmoving fingertips, but as it waved away, it calmed down. It was as if it was only energized with her touch, falling in a smooth rhythm to the voice from the clone.

"_Can you hear heaven cry,_  
_The tears of an angel?_  
_The tears of an aaaangel... _  
_The tears of an angel,_  
_The tears of an aaaangel._"

Shikamaru watched her muted lips continue to sing. She seemed completely at peace in the moment. It was then that he understood why they called her not only a Siren, but a Mermaid. Her singing was drawing him into wonder about the newcomer, but her appearance seemed flawless with how peaceful she seemed. The song being played was sad but also calming. It seemed like she didn't just sing to sing, that there was always a message behind the songs she chose.

"_So hold on,_  
_Be strong._  
_Everyday, hope will grow,_  
_I'm here, don't you fear._

_Little one, don't let go_  
_(Ooooooooooohhhhhhhhh),_  
_Don't let go_  
_(Ooooooooooohhhhhhhhh),_  
_Don't let go_  
_(Ooooooooooohhhhhhhhh)._"

He remembered the song she sang earlier. He just thought she was loony. It was only until after he remembered that she had been abused that he realized that the song meant she was saying good-bye to her lonely life in Amegakure and bringing joy to the fresh start. Shikamaru had listened carefully to the lyrics on of the current song, finding the meaning behind it. It was as thought she was tell him that things would get better, and that she wasn't going to let him go through it alone.

"_Cover my eyes,_  
_Cover my ears,_  
_Tell me these words are a... lie._"

A silent tear slid down the girl's cheek as the piano stopped playing. She didn't wipe it away. Her eyes remained closed. She didn't even move from the position other than her lips. Shikamaru watched the new word form as she stayed muted.

"Konohamaru," Shikamaru's gaze went to the vision in the puddle to find the clone take a step toward the boy, "your Hokage is waiting for you to come out." The girl's arm was stretched out towards him, "I may be a stranger to you, but I won't harm you. You have no need for fear."

Hesitantly, Konohamaru held his hand out to the smaller figure. The pixie-like clone smiled to him as her tiny hand wrapped around his index finger. Konohamaru got to his feet, but he was bent over from the tiny girl holding his finger. She led him over to the door.

Shikamaru looked over to Tsunade, knowing looking at the ANBU would be useless due to their masks. Her eyes were slightly widened and her mouth partially open. It was like the Hokage couldn't believe what was happening as she stared at the puddle.

With the sound of water hitting the floor, Konohamaru opened the door. His eyes were clouded, but they were no longer glassy. It seemed like he couldn't move anymore. Carefully, Mizuko grabbed his hands and pulled him over to her. Despite the fact she was a stranger, he let her.

"Honey," she said softly, "what's going on? Can you tell Nee-chan what happened?"

"Nee-chan," he barely muttered the word as tears surfaced his eyes. His eyes went to Tsunade, "Tell me it's not true... Tell me Nee-chan isn't dead..."

Tsunade's eyes widened, "What? Of course, she's not. Why would you think such a thing?"

"I overheard people talking that she might have been killed. There was a body with a cat near it, but they couldn't identify who it was because the body was too beaten up. They said it was probably her."

Shikamaru felt Mizuko's confused gaze on him. He looked at her, holding his index finger to his lips for her to stay quiet. She rolled her eyes, sending him a you're-so-telling-me-what's-going-on-later expression. He knew it since he got it from Ino too many times to count. He sighed silently.

"Miss," Konohamaru, thankfully, turned her attention away from him, "I'm sorry I called you a hag."

Her expression softened as she looked at him, and it showed her true beauty. Shikamaru felt himself stare in awe at her along with Konohamaru. She gave him a sisterly smile, "You were upset, so I forgive you. I'm sure your Nee-chan is just fine, honey. Was she really strong?"

Konohamaru grinned with a light blush, "Yeah, she kicked Shikamaru's butt a good few times. She's really pretty, too."

Shikamaru noticed the amused smile on the girl's lips, "Then she should be just fine."

"You're right," Konohamaru nodded. "Nee-chan would be mad if she knew about this."

Tsunade shook her head and crossed her arms, "She'd probably say something along the lines of, 'What's that, Koko? Do you even _remember_ who you're thinking of? Chi and I can make _anyone_ hightail it out of the country just by _looking_ at us! Even Lady Tsuande _herself_ wouldn't want to take it against us.'" She rolled her brown eyes with annoyance as she muttered a quick, "_Cocky brat._"

Konohamaru grinned at the nickname, "Thanks. I feel a lot better now."

"_Konohamaru!_"

The four of them turned to find the rest of Konohamaru's trio, Moegi and Udon, running up towards them. They had ended up being on an actual team together once they graduated from the academy. Iruka must've known that the three shouldn't be separated.

"Moegi, Udon!" Konohamaru took his hands from Mizuko and hastily went over to his friends. "What're you guys doin' here?"

Moegi haughtily put her hands on her hips, "We heard that you locked yourself up again! Do you know how worried we get when you're in these moods?"

"Yeah," Udon sniffed, "you're our teammate."

Konohamaru got all teary-eyed at his friends. The kid really was like a miniature Naruto Uzumaki. Shikamaru had noticed it during his old classmate's absence. The kid played most of Naruto's original pranks. Two peas from the same pod in a way. The trio ran off, saying something about their sensei needing them.

"Shikamaru..." There was deadly venom dripping in the voice. He heard bones cracking beneath the skin of the owner.

He slowly turned to see Mizuko glaring at him with flames engulfing her sapphire eyes. Instantly, quick as a striking snake, she grabbed the collar of his vest and pulled him so that he was inches away from her face.

"H-Hey!"

"I outta' beat the living crapola outta' you for fooling me like that," she growled angrily. Fortunately, she shoved him away from her, "But I'm not."

Shikamaru fell backwards, landing on his rump. Tsunade laughed at him as the ANBU disappeared, figuring that she'd call if she needed them.

"I like this girl already," the Hokage grinned.

Mizuko put a hand on her hip, "Well, when a guy pushes you into an unknown room, you have a right to be a little ticked off, right?"

Tsunade nodded her agreement, "It's understandable, but you understand that I set that up, right?"

"Of course." The girl looked over her shoulder to the older woman, "But you're the Hokage, so that gives you the right. Had Shikamaru here just told me that I needed to be in this room, calling it a waiting room or something, then that would've been fine." Her glare returned to him, "_Not_ pushing you when you're in a _skirt_!"

Tsunade obviously couldn't control her laughter as Mizuko's cheeks seemed stained with embarrassment.

_Thanks a lot, Lady Tsunade..._ He mentally sighed as he just sat on the floor. He was too lazy to get up, and he didn't want the risk of the girl shoving him again.

"Well, now that I got my visit done," Mizuko crossed her arms as the Hokage started walking towards the room, "I think I deserve a trip to those hot springs now."

Tsunade halted in the doorway, "You're going to the hot springs?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Tell them that you did a favor for the Hokage," the older female grinned, "then they should let you get in for a discount. Enjoy."

"Thanks, Lady Hokage," Mizuko partially bowed in respect before turning to Shikamaru. "All right, _escort_... Take me to the springs."

"What a drag," Shikamaru physically sighed now.

* * *

_**Tears Of An Angel**_** by RyanDan: ( watch?v=xORev59Zx7Y&list=PLNJgjeANYVDHc3C8_1N3WsTXK-Nzap9Dw)**

**This is a sad song, but there's something that drew me to it. I figured I'd add a Konohamaru moment with Mizuko to show her innocent side c: Children always seem to bring out the best in her... Despite their bratty moments. **


	8. Hot Springs

I skipped happily along side Shikamaru as he led the way to the hot springs. I was still pretty irritated with him, but I was getting over it the more I thought about soaking in the springs. It sounded wonderful, and hopefully it'd settle my thoughts.

_Let's see,_ I told myself as I slowed into a walking pace next to the boy,_ I have to stick to business from now on whether I want to do it or not. Lord Orochimaru wants me to scout out the place. He wants me to spy on the people for the destruction of the Leaf Village, but I don't understand why. He created the Sound Village, so why would he want to plan an attack on the Leaf? What would be the point of it? Plus, if he was really thinking of plotting here, then it really wouldn't be a good spot to put Aiji._ I wanted to rip my hair out the more I actually thought about this. _What the hell was I thinking of trying to make a home for Aiji and I here if it's one of Orochimaru's target locations?! I'm such an _idiot_! Ame is obviously out of the question._ My nails dug into my palms from my fists clenching at my sides._ So, now is Konoha, too. The Sand Village already became a recent target of the Akatsuki from what Orochimaru told us. The Leaf Village has a jinchuriiki, too, doesn't it? I think Kabuto called him 'The Nine-Tailed Brat'._

"If you think too hard," Shikamaru's voice scattered my fuming thoughts away, "your brain will turn to mush and you'll get a pretty bad headache."

"What are you, a doctor?" I eyed him with fake suspicion.

"No," he smirked, "but I have gotten a few headaches, mainly from my friend Naruto."

"Naruto?"

_Was that the Kyuubi boy's name? Naruto? It starts with the letter 'N' like Nine Tails..._ I mentally shrugged the thought away, figuring I'd remember later if I needed to.

Shikamaru replied, "Yeah, he and a kunoichi named Sakura are on a mission with their own sensei, Kakashi, for the Sand Village. They should be back within the week, maybe."

"Lovely," I laced my hands behind my back. "I hope everything goes well for them."

We finally came to a bridge that allowed people to cross a steaming river that streamed from a nearby waterfall. On the other side of the river was a single-floored building with steam raising from the back. There was a few panels of wood leaning against the entrance, seeming to split it into two. Both sides were covered by a red curtain lined with gold.

Shikamaru pointed to the right side, "That's the side for women. We'll head to training once you've finished up here, okay?"

"You're going in, too?" I looked questioningly at him.

"Would you rather me leave you here all alone?"

In response to that, I clung to his arm. I honestly didn't want to wander aimlessly around the village until I saw one of the Nara members. It would've been a mess, but Shikamaru would've gotten in the most trouble for it. I looked up at him with my big blue eyes.

He raised an amused eyebrow at me, "Then it's settled. Once you get in, I'll be on the other side of the wall, where the guys would be. Okay?"

"Okay," I grinned.

Oddly enough, I did feel a little safer having Shikamaru around. I figured it was just the vibe that he would try to protect me if someone were to harm me for no reason. He was lazy, yes, but he did have a good heart. It kind of reminded me of how Sasuke became my big brother figure in the Sound.

After unlatching myself from the boy's arm, I went to the right side of the panel. I noticed that there was a wall blocking the male and female entrances before ducking through the curtain. I paid the amount I needed after getting a gracious discount from the female at the register. She nodded kindly to me after I left a little tip for her. I went farther in to find shelves on either side of the white walls with two long benches between them.

I picked out a little cubbyhole near the steaming entrance of the bath. Pulling out the rubber band from my long hair, I put it back up into a sloppy bun at the base of my neck. I stripped off my clothes, placing them in the wicker baskets in exchange for the pair of towels there. I wrapped the longer towel around my thin frame then put the smaller one on my head. After changing, I poked my head out the white curtain to see if anyone was there.

There wasn't.

I went over to the pool of water. I dipped my toes in first to test the water, then squeaked at how hot it was.

"Everything okay over there?" Shikamaru's voice called from the other side of the wall.

I called back to him, cupping a hand to the side of my mouth, "I'm use to cold water, not scalding!"

His laughter was nice despite the fact that he was laughing at me, "You'll get use to it once you get in."

"But it's so hooooot," I whined, dragging out the word.

"Just get in." I could have sworn that I heard him mutter a "_Troublesome girl_" remark.

Wanting my fun, I yelled at him, "_I'm a young woman!_"

I could only imagine his expression as I tossed the larger towel onto a nearby rock and slipped into the scalding water. I was hissing the entire time from the heat. My body felt like it was slowly being burned, but it was my own element that was boiling me like stew. It _was_ relaxing, though. The warmth from the water was therapeutic to my muscles. They have _never_ felt such relaxation.

I sighed happily, "I'm in love with these baths."

* * *

Shikamaru felt a little awkward being in the public bathhouse. He didn't normally come here. It was actually the first time he's been in the place. It was pretty relaxing, though. Shikamaru rested his head against the slick rocks that lined the pool and watched the clouds float in the blue sky. He could hear splashing and girlish giggling from the other side of the wall that split the baths, figuring Mizuko must be having a hell of a time.

_I just have to make sure she's not going to try anything..._ He thought with a sigh._ So far, the girl really doesn't seem like a danger. Even Rikumaru seemed to trust her at least a little bit. She's got a soft spot for kids, especially that Aiji kid she's got somewhere. She's a little bipolar with her moods. One minute she knows everything, then the next she's confused about the simplest things. She goes from sad to happy to mad to happy again. She's weird, yeah, but not harmful. She didn't hurt me when she clearly had the chance and reason to in the Hokage's office_.

As he continued watching the puffy clouds in the sky, he started to fall asleep. At least... until Mizuko decided to speak up.

Her tone was curious, "Hey, Shikamaru?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you..." She seemed to have hesitated, "Do you... I mean... Never mind."

"Are you sure?" He turned his attention towards the wall blocking them as though he could see her through it, "You can talk to me if you want. I complain about a lot, but I might be able to help out."

"I'm sure, but thanks a lot, Shikamaru," he could hear the smile in her voice again. "I really appreciate the kindness everyone's been showing me so far."

He sighed, looking back up at the sky, "Konoha's a pretty nice place, I guess."

"Hey, you ready to get covered in dirt now?"

"_What?_" He furrowed his brows.

"We've still got training to do, pretty boy, which means after this nice little bath that we're sharing, we're going to go get covered in dirt."

His cheeks burned when she said that they were sharing the bath. He blamed it on the heat of the water, though. He rose from the bath, hearing her get up from the other side, too. Shikamaru hurried inside and changed into his standard uniform. Hastily, he left the bathhouse to find Mizuko grinning and waving a hand in front of her rosy-cheeked face.

"Hey, what took you so long, lazy bones?"

He rolled his eyes at her, "You're going to be more troublesome than it's worth, aren't you?"

"How do you know it wouldn't be worth it in the end?"

She looked up at him, seeming more relaxed than she had been during the entire morning. The water must've steamed out whatever thoughts she'd been so focused on earlier. There were a lot of similarities if he were to compare her and Ino, but there were also similarities if he were to compare her and Temari. She was like a combination of the two, including her own personality. It really _was_ going to be more troublesome than it was worth.

They walked across the bridge. Mizuko had a bit of a skip in her step again. He walked with his hands casually in his pockets. It was pretty nice. The morning had been partially chaotic, but as it was going on, the girl seemed less nervous than she started with. As they got towards town, there were still some moments where she'd move closer to him, occasionally bumping into him in the process.

"So," she started up, "you like blonds, huh?"

He choked on the air he was breathing in, coughing from the surprise, "_What?!_"

She rolled her eyes at him, placing her arms behind her head in a lazy fashion like he use to, "Well, your teammate is a blond, and this Temari chick is a blond. Both are _so_ troublesome to you. They're both probably on your mind a lot, and you tend to talk about them sometimes. I'm guessing that you like one, or both, of them. You like blue-eyed blonds, right?" She sent a small, knowing grin he way.

"Ino is a teammate, and Temari is an ally of the Leaf," he huffed back at her.

"Ah," she wagged her finger in return, "but if either one of the two were to be in danger, you'd come running because they're your friend and you care for them. It's the same as if you were in danger. I can see it in Ino's eyes that she cares about you. I haven't met this Temari girl, but she seems the same way."

He rolled her eyes, "That's what friends are for."

"Indeed," her voice got a little quieter, causing him to look at her, and he noticed that her gaze had fallen to the ground.

"Don't tell me you're getting upset again," he came to a dead stop, grabbing her forearms. He didn't know what was making him go crazy about her getting upset, but he didn't like it. "I understand that you might be homesick, but you'll have a fresh start here, and you'll make plenty of friends. Believe me. Things will get better for you."

Her shocked expression seemed frozen to her face. Sapphire eyes huge and at staring at him, jaw dropped, body stiff as a board. He was drawn to look into the dark blue orbs, noticing the fear in them.

Instantly, he let go of her.

_What am I doing?_ He asked himself. _She was abused for Kami's sake! Of course she's going to freak out when I suddenly turn on her. I'm suppose to be escorting her, not making her terrified._

He looked away from her, scratching the back of his head, "Look, I'm sorry about th-"

"You're right," she told him. He looked at her then, seeing the more confident girl that came into the village on the horse's back. It took her a moment, but her body relaxed, "I've been a little homesick, but it was also because I was thinking of my Aiji. I worry about him since the people picked on him a lot, too."

He immediately felt bad. She had told him that she saw the Aiji kid as a younger brother, and it even seemed like it from the photo he saw of the two of them. There was an obvious bond between the two. It was a no brainer that she would've been missing him. She wasn't going to be able to see him every day like she was probably use to. They were in two completely different villages now, and it wasn't like she was on a mission where she'd return to him within a week or less.

"I just need a little time to get use to the new surroundings and not having him around me, okay?" She smiled up at him, a picture of pure innocence. She still seemed a little sad, but there was also that sparkle in her eyes again, "I'm sorry for being this way, but if something were to happen to him while I wasn't around, I'd go a little crazy. It's like if something happened to one of your teammates, and you felt it was your fault because you weren't there to protect them, you know?"

He heaved a heavy sigh because he knew exactly what she meant.

Shikamaru had a small flashback image of when he thought he nearly lost Choji when they were were trying to retrieve Sasuke almost three years ago. He'd just become a Chūnin then, and Lady Tsunade had made him leader of the team. Choji had stayed back to fight Jirobo so that the rest of them could get on with them mission. Things hadn't gone so well for Choji, but Lady Tsunade and her medical ninja were able to fix him up. He never felt so relieved in his life to have his best friend.

"Yeah, I know," he took a hand from his pocket and placed it on her head like she was a kid. "I'm sorry for reacting the way I did. You didn't deserve it. Take all the time you need to adjust, I just didn't like seeing you get depressed nearly every time we walked."

Her smile stayed intact, even becoming a little teasing, "I'm sorry for being so depressed. I'll try to work on it a little, but be warned about tomorrow. Things might be a little hectic."

"All right," he smiled back at her, rubbing her head. Her hair felt softer than it looked. "If you ever need to talk, you c-"

"I can always rant to you," she finished for him.

"Troublesome," he sighed.

"Yeah, but you like having troublesome girls around you." She took his hand from her head and tugged on it, "Now let's go see the others. I wanna' go train, darn it!"

He raised an amused eyebrow at her, "Let's go then."

_She will never cease to remind me of Naruto in a way,_ he thought to himself as they continued towards the Training Grounds._ They both weren't liked by their own villages, but they've found a way to make it through the day. They've found people to protect. Naruto found friends here, amongst almost all of the villagers, and Mizuko has Aiji, who really is the_ _"beloved child" to her. She'll be fine. Ino already likes her, and so does Choji. Asuma knows her already. My parents seem to like her. I like her so far, her cheeriness is nice to have around. Yeah, she'll be just fine._


	9. Scream of the Siren!

We appeared at the Training Grounds, as Shikamaru told me it was called, to find that it was a small clearing near a stream that was surrounded with a forest. I saw Ino just jump out of the way of what looked like a giant red ball. It continued rolling... straight toward us.

"Crap!"

I heard Shikamaru's shout before a hand snaked my arm and pulled me out of the way. I squeaked as I fell. I was encased by a pair of arms and a large weight on me. My head hit the ground.

"Shikamaru! Mizuko!"

I groaned under the weight, opening my eyes to find a head on my shoulder and a body on top of my own. I shifted my shoulders, bumping the head. It groaned as well. I glanced around me to find Ino, Choji, and Asuma running towards us. I noticed that Choji was coming from the direction that the giant ball had rolled towards. Quickly, I tossed the weight off me and sat up.

The body next to me groaned, "Ow..."

I turned my attention to it to see Shikamaru with a hand over his face. My eyes widened as I got to my hands and knees, leaning over him, "Shikamaru, are you okay?"

His brown eyes went wide for a moment before he sat straight up, knocking my head with his. I whined as I fell to my side, holding my forehead. The guy had a hard head. I was going to be getting one _major_ headache in the morning. I curled up into a ball on my side, whining like a puppy.

"Geez, Shikamaru!" I heard Ino's voice, "You didn't have to try to knock her out!"

"Dammit," Shikamaru growled. A hand found itself to my shoulder, shaking it lightly, "Hey, Mizuko, are you okay?"

"You going to be such a headache," I glanced at him, seeing the worry in his eyes. "I'm fine, just give me a second to recover from your hard head. Do you store bricks in there?" It was easy to see the relief flood through his eyes.

Asuma laughed, "Well, people say that he's got a big brain."

I sat up slowly, feeling the pain start to settle, "Brains are suppose to be squishy, not brick-like."

"Did you seriously say 'squishy'?" Ino giggled.

"Yes, I did." I crossed my arms in a pout. "Squishy, squishy squish like a fish!"

They all stared at me for a moment then cracked up. Smiling at them, I giggled at my own statement. It was actually nice to be around people that were willing to laugh and smile around me. It made me feel a little... a little at home.

_No!_ My thoughts screamed, cutting my laughter short. My bangs fell over my eyes, shielding the emotions in them from the team._ Remember, this is a targeted area for Orochimaru. You can no longer make this place a home for you and Aiji. If you screw this up, Mizuko, then you'll lose Aiji... forever. You cannot risk failure! You must always remember what's at stake if you do_.

"Hey, Mizuko," Choji's voice registered in my memory, scattering my thoughts, "are you sure you're feelin' all right? You're not lightheaded, are you?"

I looked up at him with dazed eyes, "Hm?"

"You look a little distant."

I shook my head, "Oh, I'm fine. Don't worry about me. I'm in tiptop shape. The only worry would be about a bruise forming on my forehead in the morning."

"Yeah, sorry about that..." Shikamaru looked away sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.

Asuma took a puff from his cigarette before speaking, "Do you still want to train with us?"

"Hell, yeah," I smirked.

That made Asuma smile, "All right then."

* * *

"So," the cigarette bounced on his lips as he spoke, "I'm going to assign Mizuko to fight all three of you. It'd be a good training exercise to try." His eyes found me standing between Shikamaru and Ino, "Is that okay with you, Mizuko?"

_Dammit,_ I thought to myself. _If I let them know my fighting style, then if they were to ever find out my real intentions, they'll know what I can do. If I don't, then they'll get suspicious..._ I met Asuma's dark eyes and nodded. _Hopefully, I won't have to show them all my techniques. On the plus side, I'll be able to find out their strengths and weaknesses, too_. I chewed on the inside of my cheek as I ordered myself. _Only allow them to see two-three jutsu tops._

"Good." He nodded his head to the clearing in front of him, "On my mark, we'll begin. Get into positions."

"Right," the four of us agreed.

I stood in the center while the team surrounded me like a triangle. Shikamaru stood in front of me, face-to-face. Choji was at my left rear and Ino at my right. I shut my eyes, concentrating solely on their presences at the moment.

"Ready..." I head Asuma's voice. "Begin!"

My eyes snapped open. I jumped high into the air, getting a good look at what the trio was about to pull. I noticed Shikamaru's hands were in a hand-sign. Also, by noticing this, I saw an inky black line stretch like a snake toward the spot I had just been. As soon as I saw it, it retracted back to the ponytail boy.

"_Partial Expansion Jutsu: Arm!_"

My response to the shout was a simple, "The hell?"

I turned my body to find a giant hand coming towards me at an increasing rate. Quickly, I formed the hand-sign for Tiger. The water from the nearby stream rose and quickly came to my side like a snake striking. It molded into a form of myself before gaining color. The water clone grabbed my arm and threw me to the side before getting grabbed my the giant hand. It was crushed within seconds.

A pretty rainbow formed from the watery blood of the clone.

I continued flying backwards, into the bush of some trees. I perched myself on a branch. I stayed hidden there for a few moments, quickly forming more hand-signs: Ox → Monkey → Hare → Rat → Boar → Bird → Ox → Horse → Bird → Rat → Tiger → Dog → Tiger → Snake → Ox → Ram → Snake → Boar → Ram → Rat → Yang Water → Monkey → Bird → Dragon → Bird → Ox → Horse → Ram → Tiger → Snake → Rat → Monkey → Hare → Boar → Dragon → Ram → Rat → Ox → Monkey → Bird → Yang Water → Rat → Boar → Bird.

"_Water Style: Twin Water Dragon Jutsu,_" I hissed under my breath as a large amount of water rose from the stream. It split in half, rippling as it shifted and shaped into the forms of two powerful, wingless dragons made from water. Their eyes glowed yellow as they looked at the three members of Asuma's team. The mighty water dragons went to strike.

"_Partial Expansion Jutsu: Both Hands!_"

Hidden behind the leaves, I saw Choji's already meaty hands grow and grow. They were just big enough to grab the dragons before they could make contact. I glanced to see Ino looking side to side. Choji crushed my dragons like he did with my water clone. Asuma was standing there, nodding approvingly. Now, the only one that was missing was...

"Boo."

Squealing in surprise, I jumped back. My footing slipped from the branch I had been perched on.

I fell.

I saw that Shikamaru had his arm stretched out towards me, like he was going to catch me. I went to reach for it, but I had fallen a little too far from him that only our fingertips touched. I saw him make a hand-sign.

"_Shadow Gathering Jutsu,_" he had said under his breath, but I had been just able to read his lips.

The inky black shadow of his stretched, running down the trunk of the tree like black water. The moment it hit the ground, it rose, splitting into multiple tentacles. The tentacles continued rising towards me. I shut my eyes, fearing that it was the end already.

My body hit the ground, or, at least, I thought it was the ground. I opened my eyes, surprised to be feeling no pain from the impact, to find that the spike of the black tentacles were like protective walls around me. My mind had to register the moment to realize that the shadows had actually _caught_ me instead of piercing through me like millions of needles like I was expecting.

I looked up to see Shikamaru sighing in relief. His gray eyes met mine as he smirked, "That would've been a nasty fall."

Something pulsed through my body, and a strange heat filled my cheeks for a second. I ignored it though as the shadows gently lowered me to the ground. The moment my body touched the ground, I felt light vibrations.

Footsteps.

I quickly jumped to my feet, turning around to find Ino charging at me with a kunai in her hand. I pulled out one of my own, countering her strike. Blade verse blade, we pushed the knives against each other. Female versus female as we sought for a victory. She pulled back, attempting a roundhouse kick to my face. I ducked, grabbing the blond's ankle.

"You don't know many jutsu, do you?" I grinned at her, watching her narrow eyes widen in surprise. "That's why you decided to go to a combat of weapons and hand-to-hand. Choji's able to expand himself, and Shikamaru can manipulate shadows. You, I don't know about."

Ino yanked her leg from my hands as she cartwheeled back. She threw her forgotten kunai at me, which I sent my own to counter once again. She smiled at me, "And I'm planning on keeping it that way for now, new girl."

With that, she ran towards me. We locked fists. Her right fist captured in my left palm while my own right fist was caught in her left. I stomped down on the blond's foot. With a yelp of pain, she jerked back. As my opening was clear, I lowered myself to the ground, swinging my leg to the back of the stumbling girl's knees. She fell back on her rump.

She growled at me, narrowing her cerulean eyes again. The sound of a knife slicing through the air sailed passed me. My cheek stung. I could feel a liquid bleed from the stinging scratch.

My eyes shifted from the girl to the boy behind her to find Choji staring with wide eyes. Grinning like the Cheshire cat, I cracked my knuckles at him. I could have sworn that I saw "_Oh, man..._" form from his lips as I started towards him.

* * *

_Damn impulses,_ he thought to himself, smacking his hand against his forehead. _Why is it that I've only just met this girl this morning, and I've been feeling the need to protect her? What is there even to protect her from? Herself?_

There was a painful cry that caused his eyes to move ahead of him.

He saw Mizuko sitting on Choji's back with his arms pinned towards his shoulder blades. There was a eerie smile on her lips as she spoke, "Okay, Choji, unknown enemy puts you in a hold. What do you do?"

"_Mind Transfer Jutsu!_"

Shikamaru cursed under his breath as he raced to catch Ino's falling body. He had just been able to grab her before she landed face-first into the ground. Looking ahead, he saw Mizuko's body get up off of Choji and walk off to the side.

She screamed, "Get the hell outta' my head, blonde!"

With her hands at her head, he could see the slender fingers entangling themselves in the brunette hair as though they were about to attempt to rip it out. The girl tossed her head around like a horse in distress as she stamped her feet against the ground.

"I said..." Shikamaru could feel the power from within her tone. It sent chills down his spine. "Get_ out_ of my head!"

"Choji," she shouted suddenly, looking at him with worried eyes, "get ready. She's breaking loose!"

Choji looked at him warily, "Get ready?"

Mizuko's voice shouted again, but they knew it was Ino still, "Run her over!"

Just as Choji opened his mouth, probably to question her as to why, the girl bellowed. It was a furious shout full of power again. Quickly, Choji used his expansion jutsu. His body grew like a balloon, bringing the memory back from when they were Genin. Shikamaru heard another cry. Ino's original body breathed into life with a gasp.

Mizuko had fallen to her knees.

"_Human Boulder!_"

"Choji!"

What happened next happened in pieces, like slides in his memory. Choji was rolling towards the fallen girl at an amazing speed. Instincts kicked in. Next thing he knew, he was in front of the girl with his arms spread wide. His eyes shut in a wince as the boulder came closer.

Ino and Asuma screamed at him, "_Shikamaru!_"

"_Kurosawa__ Art: Scream of the Siren!_"

He heard a scream at a extremely high-pitched tone, but it wasn't Ino's. It was higher than the average female's.

The impact he was expecting never came.

Shikamaru opened his eyes to see Mizuko in front of him this time. His gaze went ahead to Choji to see the giant red ball he'd turned into still rolling, but he was stuck in place. It was like a wheel of a cart stuck in the mud. He wasn't going backwards towards Ino, but he wasn't moving forward. It was just enough power to keep him in place.

As he focused back to the girl, his eyes widened. He could actually _see_ the rings of her voice expand towards Choji. It reminded him of the water rippling from back in the Hokage's office.

Choji soon stopped and shrank to his original size. As Mizuko quieted down, the rings disappeared. Shikamaru, Asuma, and Ino stood there. Jaws dropped and eyes bulging in shock from what had just occurred. Choji just looked confused.

_She saved me?_ His mind turned into a flurry of thoughts._ I thought that she would've just let me take the impact... but she saved me? What was with that screaming? It looked like clear water was rippling from her voice._

Exhaling a heavy sigh, Mizuko smoothed out her skirt.

She turned to look at him, leveling a finger, "Do you _know_ how stupid that was, deerling?! You could've been squashed like a pancake!"

He was at a loss of words, "I... Um... _What?_"

"Are you okay? You're not hurt, are you?" Her rage melted into concern as her eyes ran over him, searching for wounds until they met his. He barely heard the next words exit her lips, "_You scared me to death..._"

"Shikamaru!"

He turned to find his teammates standing behind him along with their sensei. Ino jumped on him, hugging him, which made his eyes widen tremendously. She muttered her apologies in his ear. Choji and Asuma watched him with concern.

"I'm okay," he told them as he pried Ino off him. "I'm okay."

"Shikamaru, had I known..." Choji trailed off, seeming unable to find the words he was looking for, "I mean, if..."

"I know," he smiled to his friend, "and it's okay. I'm fine."

"I think that's enough training for today," Asuma spoke the obvious. His cigarette was missing from his mouth, probably fallen from his jaw hanging wide open just a moment ago.

"No kidding," Mizuko crossed her arms. "I think there's been enough scares for this evening."


	10. Naito to Aiji - Story of How We Met

The team had departed. After having a quick word with Shikamaru, Asuma had said his farewells before disappearing. Ino jogged off to return to the flower shop that Shikamaru had told me her family owned. Choji walked home with Shikamaru and I since his house was just a little farther from the Nara home. As we walked with Shikamaru to my left and Choji to my right, my mind started ranting.

_Damn my instincts,_ I scolded myself silently. _They always seem to put me in the worst of positions!_ I glanced at Shikamaru from the corner of my eye. He hadn't been injured, so I had been able to catch Choji before the boy was flattened._ He really did scare me when he jumped in front of me. I didn't know what would've happened. If he asks, then I'll just say, "Well, I doubt your parents would let me continue living at the house if I let you get killed, now would they?" Yeah, that seems like a good excuse... but what was that feeling I got when those shadows caught me? I've never felt it before_.

"Hey, Mizuko," Choji's voice pushed away my thoughts and brought me back to reality, "I've got a question."

I looked up to the boy, resisting the reaction to stare at him wide-eyed, "Hm?"

He fidgeted for a moment, looking hesitant, but he continued on with the question anyway. "Um... How... How were you able to stop my human boulder?"

"I've got strong lungs," I smiled to him.

It was true, though.

I learned my water-style from the Rain Village while I was a genin. I had a tendency to sing quite often, too. There had been a willow tree in the Rain that had thick branches covered with protective leaves that always shielded me from the endless rainstorm. I'd go there every day since I was a child to sing under the large tree. After I ranked up to a chūnin, I wanted something more. Orochimaru found me while I was still fresh from my escape of the Rain and spoke to me of his Sound Village. I figured that it would be a good chance to see if I belonged there. He had told me that everyone in the village had a special connection with sound, normally through an instrument.

I had chosen my voice.

"You must have some intense chakra control to be able to use your voice as a weapon, Mizuko!"

My shoulders twitched, startled slightly, at his comment. I turned my head to see the boy's eyes were shining in admiration towards me. A grin clear on his lip with dimples poking his cheeks. It actually reminded me of the first time Aiji saw my sonic voice.

* * *

_The targets were three enemy ninja, masked to hide their identities, from a neighboring village. They had been trying to sneak their way into the Sound for the past three hours. As a teacher, I allowed my student to fend them off as I stood guard over the entrance. I watched over his movements and instinctive ways as well as analyzing the enemies if any were to get past the boy._

_ I was growing tired of using them as Aiji's training practice, though. He was holding his own pretty well so far, but I noticed fatigue starting to take over his ten year old body. The boy was pretty decent at fighting despite his recent life-or-death incident.  
_

_"Aiji," I crossed my arms, narrowing my eyes at the watchful trio, "back down. It's my turn."_

_"Yes, sensei!"_

_As commanded, Aiji jumped away from the enemy. He stood at my side, plopping his butt on the ground and panting heavily. I gave a small pat to his head, smiling sweetly to the boy, before stepping towards the three. The ninja watched me with their weapons ready. One had two katanas, another had a kusarigama, and the third had just kunai knives in both hands. _

_"What the hell is this?" One of them shouted, "Tag teams?"_

_"Precisely." My sweet smile turned cold as I looked over the enemies, "You tired out my student. I think it's about time I ended this little charade."_

_"C'mon, men," another spoke, "it's just a girl this time. We can take her out!"_

_The third glared at the second, "We couldn't even take the kid out!"_

_"Idiots," I muttered. I made a single-handed hand-sign,_ _"_Kurosawa Art: Scream of the Siren!_"_

_The men flew back against a set of trees as my voice hit them, weapons clattering to the earthy ground. Their own screams of terror were barely audible against mine. I lifted a few shuriken from my holster and put them near my mouth. The chakra rings mixed in my voice sent the weapons straight towards the unknown men. The sharp blades easily pierce through their vests, leaving jagged tears.  
_

_The sound of wooden breaking cracked through the small area, snapping in half from the pressure being pushed against it. The tree moaned as the men fell backwards with the dark trunk. The leaves cried their farewells while they were dragged towards the ground. The bushels bounced at the impact before settling down quietly._

_I walked over and smiled that the men had fallen unconscious._

_"Wow, Mizuko-sensei!"_

_I turned towards my new student, "Hm?"_

_His golden eyes widened with complete admiration. His hands were intertwined with each other close to his small chest. "You must have some intense chakra control to be able to use your voice as a weapon! It's awesome!"_

_"It's been a long time friend of mine," I told him, giggling slightly as I spoke of about my voice as though it were an actual person. "My voice has always been powerful, but I had just recently learned to control it into a more powerful weapon."_

_Aiji's eyes continued to sparkle, "I knew I made the right choice in choosing you as my sensei!"_

* * *

A touch to the shoulder brought me back from the distant memory. Dazed, I looked to the hand on my right shoulder, following it up the arm to find Shikamaru's eyes. Concern was clear in the boy's brown eyes. I blinked in surprised, completely forgotten that I had been walking with the two. I looked over to Choji, noticing the mirrored worry.

Shikamaru was the first to speak, "Are you okay, Mizuko? You almost went past the house."

I looked confusingly to the Nara home in front of me before I looked back at him. I smiled to the boy, "I'm just remembering some good parts of the past."

"Well, I'm going to head home then."

"All right," Shikamaru raised a hand as a wave. "I'll see you tomorrow then, Choji."

"Got it." Choji didn't leave right away like I had been expecting. Instead, he placed a beefy hand on my head, ruffling my hair like I was a little sister, "Take care, Mizuko. You've got some new friends here for you now, so if you need to talk to any one of us, you can. Ino might not always look it, but she's got a good heart. I know that she wants to be your friend, too." He grinned cheekily at me.

An emotion overwhelmed me when he said those words. Everything left my mind except for those words. My chest fluttered for just a moment. One word in particular had completely thrown me off guard.

_Friends._

Without really thinking about it, I lunged forward, wrapping my arms around the larger boy. I gave a tight embrace, which, after a moment, he returned with a chuckle. The gesture had obviously shocked him, as well as me.

After we separated, Choji gave a short wave before heading down the path.

I called out to him with a hand cupped to the side of my mouth, "Have a safe trip back home!"

I saw his silhouetted figured lift an arm to wave again as he continued walking. I felt a smile find grace my lips. I turned towards the house to find Shikamaru raising an amused eyebrow at me. I had completely forgotten about him. _Again_. I was getting bad at this. Poor boy.

Luckily, he said nothing of it. He simply opened the door to the house, allowing me to walk in first.

A cheerful voice bounced into the room, "Welcome home!"

I smiled to Yoshino as I unbuckled my heels, "Thank you, Mrs. Nara."

"Dinner's on the table," she told me, hands went to her hips. "If you don't eat, then that's your choice. You get what I serve."

"Thank you, ma'am. I'd appreciate what you serve." I had a question, but I had the feeling that she'd say no to it, but it was worth a shot. I asked, rather hesitantly, "Oh, Mrs. Nara?"

She tilted her head slightly, "Yes?"

I chewed on my lip nervously, "I was wondering if you'd allow me to use the kitchen tomorrow?" I fiddled with my skirt as I heard the door shut behind me, knowing that my mouth was going into a ramble, "I mean, I know that, despite stereotypical saying, the kitchen is a woman's most sacred place. It'd be rude to intrude without consent."

"You mean to tell me..." The older woman's scornful voice made me wince before it turned into a delighted tone, "I don't have to _cook_?! If that's the case, then cook every day!"

"Wait, Mom," Shikamaru hurried after the woman as she twirled into the next room. "_Mom!_"

They left me standing there in the living room, completely and utterly dumbfounded. My eyes were partially bugging out and jaw dropped at the reaction.

* * *

As soon as Shikamaru pushed through the swinging door to the kitchen, his mother pulled him aside. Her hand was over his mouth to keep him from giving a surprised shout at the woman's actions. He nodded to her. A stern look was clear on her face as she pulled the hand away. A teapot released a high-pitched screech to alarm that the liquid concoction inside was ready.

"Now, Shikamaru," his mother started, going to the screaming kettle, "I understand why you're worried about her, but you do realize that we're going to have to learn to put some trust in the girl if we're going to be living with her."

"But, Mom-"

Pouring the steaming brown liquid into one of four earthy green ceramic cups, his mother didn't look at him, "How do you expect to sleep at night knowing that she's sleeping in your room if you don't put a little trust in her?"

"I wasn't."

"You'll never get any rest that way, Shikamaru," she chided. "You'll end up falling asleep during your practices or studies, not like you don't lazy around here enough..."

He rolled his eyes, drowning out his mother's ranting. She was always on his ass about _something_. It didn't matter how little the subject was. At least he wasn't alone in the never-ending scolding. His father got it just as bad, and he's married to the strict woman. How he ever came to fall in love with her, he'll never truly know. His father always claimed that there was a softer side to her, but he never saw it.

"Look," his forgotten mother sighed as she placed each cup on a tan, circular tray, "has she done anything to prove distrustful towards you?"

He thought back on today. He remembered how Mizuko fell off the horse, and he caught her out of instinct. He remembered the awe look in her face when she first saw the ranch. He remembered how his mother and her chatted easily with each other, and how him and his father stared at them stricken from how they just suddenly clicked like mother and daughter. He thought about when she followed him to _Yakiniku Q_, and she left the pouch of ryō as they left the restaurant. He thought about the Hokage's office when she helped bring Konohamaru out of his grandfather's study. The hot springs, hearing her splash around with gleeful squeals. Training with her cocky attitude, and how she hadn't tried to deliberately hurt any of his team members.

Most of all, he remembered when he jumped in front of her, assuming to attempt to block a big of Choji's attack. Instead of jumping out of the way and letting him take it, she moved in front of _him_ and blocked it with her own attack.

He looked away from her guiltily, "No..."

"See?" She looked up to watch him with knowing, motherly eyes, "What if she's innocent?"

He gave his mother a stern look despite it all, "What if she isn't?"

"Well, we won't know until we find out, will we?" She smiled a little. "Besides, this gives me a reason not to cook if she's any good at it.

With that, his mother pushed the swinging door open with her hip and walked out, carrying the tray with her.

Irritated with his mother's sudden trust towards a stranger, he followed.

* * *

Sitting on the couch, Shikamaru noticed that she was chewing on her lower lip and fiddling with the hem of her skirt. He watched her as his mother set the tray of tea on the coffee table in front of her. The girl looked up at the older woman and smiled, saying her thanks. His mother sat on the couch perpendicular to the one Mizuko was on.

"So, Mrs. Nara," Mizuko blew gently on the steaming cup, "what did you make for dinner?"

His mother sent him a side glance, "Mackerel and kelp."

Shikamaru's shoulders twitched when he heard his favorite food.

"Oh, yum!" Mizuko clapped her hands together, "I know how to make that, too. Actually, I use to prepare it every time my brother got a successful mission, or training, or even on his birthday. It's his absolute favorite, I swear."

"Oh, really?"

He knew his mother was watching him, but he didn't look at her. He stared at the girl as her dark blue eyes sparkled more than he had seen the entire day. She didn't fall into the usual depression when she spoke of the Aiji kid, but she seemed happier.

His mother pressured the girl on as Shikamaru sat lazily next to the older woman, "So, what about your brother?"

He had already heard the story, but he decided that he'd check to see if he would hear the same story twice. He saw the raw emotions she revealed to him earlier in his room. He was just hoping that it was true.

"Would you like to hear the full story?" She didn't bother looking at Shikamaru, just his mother.

She nodded vigorously just as his father walked in, "Hello."

"Shhh!" His mother hissed at his father before scooting over. She patted the spot next to her for her husband to sit, which he did to not anger his wife, "Mizuko is going to tell us a story."

He looked over to the quiet girl, "Oh?"

"If you're willing to listen," she told him. "I'm going to be living under your home for awhile, so it's obvious that you should get to know me a little better. I'll give you the story of how I met my brother, Aiji, tonight."

His parents quieted down. Shikamaru watched her, feeling a little anxious actually. The girl looked at him and smiled before turned back to his parents.

She took a cleansing breath before starting, "Well, we're not technically related, by marriage nor blood. It's more of a bond that grew during the three years that we've been together." Her eyes grazed over each of them for a moment before they went into a distant state, seemingly to fall into the memory. "I had already left the Rain Village due to their abusive behavior towards me, so I was ranked as a chūnin at the time. I went to a different village, the River Country to be exact. I went off to one of my hideaways. I'm a very adventurous girl, willing to explore new territories just to get away from the crowds. It became a habit since I became fearful of most people because of the years I've spent in the Rain."

Shikamaru leaned forward as his interest sparked with the details from the story. His parents had also leaned towards her, eager for more. In his attempt to stay casual, he rested his forearms on his thighs and let his hands dangle. The girl sipped some of her tea and sighed.

"Anyway, I wandered over to a river that no one really visited. I had claimed it as my own, marking a tree with my symbol: a water drop with a rose in the base." He noticed that her traveled to the spot just below her collarbones before it fell to her lap. "The currents of the water seemed unusually rapid, like they were upset. I followed downstream until I saw a boy, no more than ten years old, lying in the water, unconscious. Hurriedly, I pulled him out, checking his breathing and for any fatal wounds. He had a few scratches, a fever, and hypothermia. I bandaged him up with what I had on me, wrapped him up in my jacket, put him on my back, and carried him to my little shack of a home.

"Once there, I laid the boy in my bed. I nursed him for three days before he opened his eyes. Of course he was going to be startled, being in a stranger's home after being a river for who knows how long. Especially if that stranger had stripped off your clothing while you were unconscious to prevent further illness. I kept him in bed for another two days, feeding him warm soup." Her torso bounced lightly, like she was giving a little laugh. "He whined about how awful the soup tasted, but I scolded him to eat it anyway. I put certain medication in there to speed his recovery. It worked, too. After the two days, the boy was bouncing around the house like I had given him a bowl full of sugar instead of medicated soup!"

His mother chuckled, glancing to his father, "A woman always knows what's best for a man when he's down, even when he doesn't think so."

"I know that you know what's best for me, Yoshino," his father placed a sappy kiss on her cheek.

Waving her hand, his mother beckoned for Mizuko to continue.

She obliged with a smile, "After I knew he was back to his full strength, which wasn't very much honestly, I told him to head home. The kid didn't. For days, for weeks even, I'd tell him to go home, but he followed me like a lost puppy. I turned to him and asked him why he continued to stay. He told me that he no longer had a home, that his parents hadn't wanted him. He had nowhere to go. He was an orphan." She shook her head slightly. Her smile turned melancholy. "My heart broke for the kid, especially since we were similar in a way. I had never known my parents, though, so I assumed they died somewhere.

"The boy told me that his name was Naito, meaning_ night,_ and he was from Moon Village. He told me that he hopped aboard a merchant ship and traveled to the main land, hoping to become a ninja. He had traveled a long distance, obviously, since the River Country was between the Wind and Fire nations. He wanted to come to the new land as a new person." Her hand that wasn't holding the tea clenched into a fist, "That little boy had the nerve to demand that I become his teacher."

Her fist unclenched and her eyes fell towards the cup on her lap, "I declined and walked away. Unsuccessfully, the boy tried stalking me. It lasted about three days before I found him sitting under a tree outside my little house in the rain. I remembered a moment in my own life were I had been just like him, except I wasn't trying to have someone become my teacher. I walked outside and held an umbrella over the boy's head, telling him that he'd catch hypothermia _again_ if he sat out there."

His mother urged her to continue, "What happened then?"

Surprisingly, Shikamaru wanted her to, too.

He had grown completely interesting in the girl's past. He stayed quiet since his parents, mainly his mother, was doing the encouraging.

She barked a laugh. "The kid told me, 'I don't care. I'll follow you until the day I die unless you make me your student, Mizuko-sensei'. I rolled my eyes at him and agreed to become his teacher as long as he doesn't try something as stupidly reckless as risking his health because of me. He agreed." He saw her mutter a hushed, "_And later on, broke that stupid agreement during that cave incident..._"

She looked up to the three of them, "I took him to the Lord of the land, which I had a tendency of calling the 'Kage, and the old coot allowed me to keep him and train him as my own as long as he swore loyalty to me. Surprised by the old man's words, I stared at him like he was a fool. He smiled as the kid swore loyalty. I took him back to our little home, and I told him that I would be calling him Aiji from then on." She grinned, "He was obviously surprised by the name change, but I told him that it meant_ beloved child_ for which he was going to become my beloved student."

"Ever since, we've been glued to the hip basically, even after we left the River Country. I had been on a constant journey to learn more water-style jutsu. He followed me everywhere. I think he's even forgotten that his name had been Naito in the past since he took suck pride in the new one that I had given him. When he introduced himself, it was as Aiji Kurosawa." She shook her head, shaking the glassy look from her eyes, "I miss the kid."

"Where..." His father hesitated, "Where is he now?"

She stared directly at Shikamaru's father, "He's in my old village, the one that I was in before I came to this one. I wasn't allowed to bring him along with me this time, but if I return there..." Her eyes held a dark, vengeful emotion in them, "You better bet that I'm getting him back."

The three of them glanced at each other before turning back to the girl. She smiled to them.

"Wow..." His mother seemed surprised that so much had happened between the two.

Mizuko stood, smoothing out her skirt, "Is it all right that I go ahead and eat?"

"Oh, yes, sure." His mother laughed, "It's on the table."

"Okay," she said, then she left for the kitchen.

After a small period of time, Shikamaru returned to the kitchen to find the food he hadn't noticed earlier. They ate in silence, mainly because he had nothing to say after the story she had given. He was still in a small amount of shock from the further details that she had kept to herself, and the dark look that had been in the normally innocent-looking sapphires.

By the time they finished eating and cleaned the dishes, it was already around ten. Shikamaru gave her a quick tour of the house, which he had forgotten to give earlier. He made himself comfortable on the couch that he had often fallen asleep on in the past. The teenage boy had soon fell into a deep, familiar slumber of sleep.


	11. The Lullaby of Night

I tossed and turned in the unfamiliar bed for about an hour. It wasn't that it was uncomfortable, it was just that I wasn't use to being engulfed by Shikamaru's scent. The pillow, the blanket, the mattress. It was his room, so the reason for his scent being everywhere was obvious. I just wasn't use to it.

It wasn't bad, either.

In a way, it was actually pretty calming. His scent consisted of musk, deer, and a forestry mix probably from working out in the pasture. The deer had grown to trust him, especially that Rikumaru one. It was the way that the buck stared at me with his black orbs that told me he'd pierce me with his sharp antlers if I hurt any of the family members. It was pretty interesting actually, how much that buck was willing to do to protect his... master, in a way.

Gaki would've gestured the same thing. He was a good horse.

Frustrated with the constant shifting to get comfortable, I sat up. I swung my legs off the edge of the bed, tossing the blankets off me, and heaved off it with one push. Feeling my long hair brush against my upper thighs, I went to the window. I got a small case of goosebumps from the cold radiating off the thin glass. It wasn't much of a wonder as to why I was cold since my sleeping attire consisted of very little: a camisole and small shorts.

I looked towards the sky. The night was a deep black-blue mix with little white spots poking through the darkness. The main source of light during the night shined brightly, revealing the craters on the pearly white moon. Gray puffs floated lazily, awaiting for dawn to bright the shy blush of morning.

_I hope that Aiji gets to see these stars before bed,_ I thought quietly. A brief smile graced my lips. _The kid always told me that we were brought together because the night and water were closely related in their magical appearances,_ _that the two always seemed connected._

Exhaling heavily through my nose, I lifted the window. Instantly, I was greeted with the chilly night breath against my mostly bare skin. I stuck my head out, examining the side of the house from left to right. I noticed that there was a slant of tiles that led to the top of the roof near my little opening. I glanced back inside for a moment, making sure that no one was sneaking up on me, before I hopped up on the sill of the window.

The metal was cold against my bare feet, but I ignored it as I maneuvered carefully to the slanted shingles. I continued moving until I reached the top, which pointed like a long pyramid. I balanced myself on the balls of my feet.

_I'm glad that Tayuya told me to practice the balance beam before she passed._ I lowered my eyelids in memory of my old friend as I spread my arms out wide with my palms out. _She was a good girl despite her temper. I was glad that I got to see her when Jirobo and the others weren't teasing her about it. It was nice to hear her flute play down the halls. It went well with my singing_.

Careful to stay quiet, I moved until I was about two feet from the edge of the roof. I mustered up the courage to let my hands fall to my sides, trusting my balance as I looked up to the dark sky once more. I smiled to the full moon.

_Please,_ I prayed silently, _if Aiji is having trouble sleeping, allow my voice to drift to him in his sleep and calm his troubled mind. If night and water are truly connected, prove it to me by answering my prayer._

With that, I clasped my hands close to my chest. Shutting my eyes, I sung my lullaby.

* * *

Shikamaru normally wasn't one to have a hard time sleeping. He was able to fall asleep easily just an hour ago. Something was pulling him back to consciousness, but he didn't really know what. It was a noise of some kind. He knew that much. He listened more closely, keeping his eyes shut due to their heaviness.

"_Hush, little one,  
It will be okay.  
Our souls are connected,  
So you'll never be astray_."

Singing.

"_Hush, little one,  
I'll be in your heart,  
And you'll be in mine.  
Forever and always._"

Yes, it was someone singing. A soft little melody, like one that would be sung to a child who's fighting sleep. It made him think back in an attempt to remember if his mother ever sang to him. It wasn't like he ever had trouble sleeping, even as a child, but still.

"_My little boy,  
Don't shed another tear.  
__Don't even let in fear._  
I will soon return  
To sing you my lullaby."

Shikamaru pulled himself up off the couch despite his body's refusal. His mind was awake and running, so there was no point to just lay there and let it wander. His mind would go to some dangerous places if he let it do that. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and yawned before tuning back in to the singing.

"_My beloved child,  
You're too sweet to cry.  
Remember the memories,  
When you give that melancholy sigh._"

It was outside somewhere.

"_My precious dear,  
You are not sinned.  
Just listen for this song,  
Drifting through the wind._"

In just his green tee and dark sweatpants, Shikamaru trudged out the front door. The singing grew louder since the moment he opened the door. The cold wind brushed against him, causing him to shiver lightly. He ignored the sensation to go back inside just to retrieve a jacket.

"_Hush, little one,  
It will be okay.  
Our souls are connected,  
So you'll never be astray._"

He looked up, allowing his ears to lead him to the source of the singing. When he saw it, he had to rub his eyes to make sure that he wasn't still dreaming. Maybe it was the darkness of the night that was playing tricks on him. Maybe he had just overly exhausted his mind from the troublesome events of today.

There was a girl on the roof of his house, singing, with her long hair floating slightly with the wind. The moonlight shone against her marble skin, giving it a light glow in the darkness around them despite the twinkling stars. The moon acted as though it was her own personal spotlight in the night. There was true beauty in the scene he was seeing, like a special message that was being pushed in front of him.

Was this moment saying that she was a light amongst darkness? No, it was too much of a fantasy ideal to be true... But he could feel a magical presence from what he was looking at. It made his heart start to race.

"_Hush, little one,  
I'll be in your heart,  
And you'll be in mine.  
Forever and always._"

The name left his lips with him even realizing until he heard his own voice, "_Mizuko..._"

Seeming to not have noticed him, the girl turned around and walked on the balls of her feet until she was a few feet in. Quietly, he watched as she sat down, carefully sliding herself down the slanted side of the roof. When she slipped, he had to resist the urge to run out. Luckily, she didn't fall off the roof. It was just a little slip followed by a squeak of surprise. She hurriedly climbed back through the window and shut it without bothering to look around for anyone watching.

_Guess that's my cue to head back instead,_ he sighed.

He did just that. He stretched out on the couch, laying on his back and staring at the ceiling like he had refused to earlier. The image wouldn't leave his mind at all. The melody replayed in his mind as he shut his eyes, allowing his imagination to show what he had just seen.

It was awhile before he had fallen back asleep.


	12. Breakfast of Poisons

The second time Shikamaru woke up, it was morning. It was one of his other senses, too, this time. He caught onto the crispy scent of bacon as his tired lids opened. With a groan, he sat up and yawned. Once again, he rubbed the sleep from his eyes, though, he wasn't planning on going back to sleep this time around.

Footsteps on the staircase caught his attention, making him turn his head to see who it was.

"Good morning, Shikamaru," his mother yawned as she headed for the kitchen door. "I'm surprised that you're up this earl..."

She came to a halt at the door. Shikamaru noticed that her chest lifted as she took a deep breath before opening the door just enough to poke her head through. He could hear humming followed by the sizzle and _pop_ of grease. When she looked back at him, he got off the couch and walked over to her, tying his hair up into its usual ponytail.

He poked his own head through the door along with his mother to find Mizuko of all people swaying her hips as she moved bacon on one of the pans. She was wearing casual clothing of a light blue shirt and jeans. He noticed that her hair was in a bun at the base of her neck, and he saw the knot of white string on her lower back to prove that she was wearing an apron. She poked the spatula at another pan, then he caught the scent of eggs.

"What are you two lookin-"

"_Shhh!_" He and his mother hissed at his father.

The three of them watched silently as she dished three plates with scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, and toast. She placed each plate on the table before she swayed over to the stove again. The girl lifted the kettle, pouring a dark liquid into three mugs on a tray beside her. She took the tray over to the table, placing each mug next to the plates.

"You three can come out now," she said, setting the pans in the sink and turning on the faucet. "I made breakfast for you, so you might as well eat it."

Hesitantly, like rabbits, the three entered the kitchen one by one as they headed for the table. They took their seats without saying a word. Shikamaru looked over to his mother, who seemed as confused by the setting as he was. His father was eyeing the dark liquid in the mug, probably deciding whether or not to try it.

"It's coffee, Mr. Nara," Mizuko spoke again with her hands on her hips. "I got up early this morning, so I decided I'd make breakfast for you three as a thank-you for letting me stay here."

His mother looked at her, "You're not eating?"

"I ate while I cooked," she grinned. Her gaze went to his father, "Is it okay if I pick some of the pasture grass to feed my horse?"

"Horse?" His eyebrows knitted together in confusion before he remembered, "Oh, yeah. Shikamaru told me about the horse yesterday while we were unloading." He nodded to her. "I'll help you with that after I eat, all right?"

Her smile widened, "Thanks so much."

"Thank _you_ for the breakfast," his mother told her. "It looks wonderful, and I didn't even have to cook it!"

With a laugh, Mizuko heads over to the sink and starts washing the pans. Shikamaru watches his mother as she takes the first bite of her eggs. His father sniffed the mug before taking a sip.

His mother made a cry of delight as she looked back at the girl again, "Oh, it really is good. What's that sweet taste in the eggs?"

"It's vanilla," she told them as she lifted a small brown bottle after drying her hands. "I made some friends during my traveling, and they taught me different recipes to make common dishes taste a little better. What do you think of the coffee, Mr. Nara?"

"It's pretty good," he nodded his approval. "I never thought of using cinnamon in coffee."

"Adds a little kick to the taste."

Shikamaru looked down at his plate. Obviously it hadn't been poisoned since his parents haven't complained about pain or numbness. His toyed with the eggs a little and scooted around the meat as though he were expecting something to pop out at him. When nothing occurred, he took a bite of the fluffy yellows. His eyes widened a little in surprise.

They were actually pretty good. It tasted just like regular scrambled eggs with just a hint of sweetness from the vanilla. He tested the meat. The sausage was a little sweet, too, like a syrupy taste. The bacon was nice and crisp, giving off a pleasant crunch in his mouth. His mouth watered as he bit into the golden brown toast, tasting the butter melted into it. He dug in.

"Slow down a little, Shikamaru," his mother chided. "You're going to choke."

He did just that. He hadn't even realized that he had been scarfing down the food like he hadn't eaten in days. The food got stuck in his throat. He went to reach for the coffee when a glass was pushed in front of his face by a dark blue nail-poilshed hand. He snatched it, draining the cold water until he got the food down.

He coughed, setting the emptied glass on the table, "Thanks..."

"Wouldn't want you to burn your tongue on hot coffee while you're trying to swallow backed up food," she told him, taking the glass and placing it in the sink.

He gave her an unamused look, "How come when you say it, it sounds gross?"

"I'm funnier," she smirked.

"What's that have to do with anything?"

She shrugged, sipping something (probably her own coffee) from a mug, as they finished up their food. Mizuko rounded up with dishes before they could say anything, taking them to the sink and washing them up before placing them on the drying rack with the rest.

His father asked her, grabbing a black trash bag, "Ready to head outside?"

"Yep," Mizuko perked up, giving him a toothy grin. "Just let me grab my shoes."

With that she hurried through the swinging door, then she came back a second later and followed his father outside, hopping on one foot to get a pair of flats on. Shikamaru put his elbow on the table, resting his chin in his palm, as he looked out the window. He watched his father laughed at the girl as she pranced around with her gray horse. He even felt himself chuckle.

* * *

Just by looking at Shikaku, I didn't think that he would know so much about herbs and grasses. I thought he was more of a war-type guy from all his scars and intimidating height. He was really just a gentle giant towards me in all actuality.

We had walked a ways from the house. Shikaku had told me that he had the black bag for collecting the poisonous plants to preserve the safety of the deer and Gaki. We were both wearing a pair of thick gloves to protect our hands from thorns or chemicals on the outside of the plants. I guessed that he was expecting me to help take care of the trash. It was time for a little gardening.

Yay.

"So, you have to watch for these," he told me as he held up a plant. "It's called a _Tansy Ragwort_. It's one of the most poisonous plats to a horse, and they've been growing around here lately."

I stared at the plant, memorizing its characteristics. A multi-stemmed weed with alternating leaves that had produced clusters of small daisy-like, yellow flowers. It seemed harmless just by looking at it, but it was obviously one of the deadly weapons of nature.

He continued on with his explanation, "The levels of toxicity vary among different members of the species, but all are thought to contain at least some concentration of pyrrolizidine alkaloids, which-"

"Which inhibit cell division, especially in the liver. Damage to the liver is cumulative and irreversible," I finished with my own knowledge on the vocabulary.

"Exactly." He gave me a little smile, which made me feel smart. "Most horses succumb to chronic exposure over time, after consuming between 50 and 150 pounds of it in total. Normally, there's no evidence of consumption until signs of liver failure begin to appear: photosensitization, diminished appetite and weight loss, progressing to depression, incoordination and jaundice."

I frowned, "It'd be easy to tell if Gaki's appetite starts going down 'cause he puts pigs to shame."

"Then we'll know just what to look for," he nodded.

We pulled out the large crop of ragworts from the ground. We had to be sure to get the roots so that the deadly plant wouldn't grow back, or at least as quickly. I was actually enjoying myself a little. Despite falling back on my butt a few times because the idiotic plant was being stubborn, it was a fun little project to do.

"I swear, those deer of yours must be laughing at me," I rubbed my butt from falling for the sixth time.

Shikaku chuckled, " I'm sure they are."

I stuck my tongue out at him in reply as we finished clearing the patch. We moved on to another area just before the forest started. Shikaku lifted two more plants into my vision with a gloved hand. The first was a weed that branched out from a single base stem to form a spherical plant up to three feet tall; its round yellow flowers were surrounded by stiff spines 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch long. The second had thistle-like flowers ranged from purple to white amongst the patch. It had no spines nor prickles.

"This is a _Yellow Star Thistle_," he told me, gesturing with the first. He wiggled the second one a little, "and this is a _Russian Knapweed_. Both plants contain a toxic agent that has a neurological effect on the brain that inhibits the nerves and control chewing. The poisoning is chronic in nature; to receive a toxic dose, horses must consume 50 to 200 percent of their body weight over 30 to 90 days."

I paled a little, "Yikes."

"Affected horses may appear to have tense or clenched facial muscles, and they are unable to bite or chew their food effectively. Weight loss is also common." He went on, "There's no treatment, though, euthanasia is recommended if the horse is too debilitated to eat."

"So, there's three poisons that I have to look out for, right?" I asked, hoping that it was only three.

"Yes," he smiled a little again, "only three. You have to be careful with them and make sure that Gaki doesn't eat them. I've already told you the dangers that they could do. Normally, I come out once a week to make sure to grab them like we are now so that the deer won't get into them either. Their antlers are pretty important."

"Ah, I see," I started picking at the weeds and tossing them in the bag. "So, the Nara clan is basically the main source that leads to the medic unit, right?"

"In a way, yes."

_Huh,_ I thought, that's pretty cool. _The Nara clan is one of the most important to the village because of their knowledge in herbology. They may seem lazy, but they're actually geniuses. If something were to happen to them, then the whole medical core might be in trouble_.

"Mr. Nara?" I looked over to him as he was digging into the dirt a little for the roots.

"Hm?"

"Would you be able to teach me a little more about herbology?" I asked, returning my focus back to my own patch. "I mean, I have information for some medications that I had read about and experimented with in the past, but I'd like to learn a little more about it."

"I guess I can teach you a few things," he grunted. "As long as you're willing to help out with the gardening and feeding the deer."

I looked over to him, "Really?"

"Mhm."

I looked over to the deer that were watching us from amongst the trees. They weren't running or munching on the green grass around them. They were just watching, probably out of curiosity if anything. I noticed a particularly large buck eyeing me.

"Good morning, Rikumaru," I waved.

The buck snorted.

"How could you tell which one was him?" Shikaku questioned with an arched eyebrow.

I tilted my head a little, "He's a little larger than the other bucks that I've seen this morning. Plus, he's the one that brave enough to come up to me and let me pet him but still keep his eye on me." I smiled, "He's a smart buck when it comes to new people."

"He's a stubborn one, that's for sure."

I rolled my eyes, "He's pretty."

A rather familiar snort of jealousy came from behind me.

"But no buck can compare to my Gaki, right, boy?" I smiled, shoving the handful of weeds in the bag.

He gave an approving whinny before I felt his nose push against my shoulder. I took off the gloves that I had been using for the poisonous plants before I petted his velvety nose. His nostrils flared in a snort as I ran my hand up his muzzle, "Good boy."

Shikaku whistled before he spoke, "He seems quite attached to you."

"Yeah, we've been together for two years. Ever since he was a filly," I grinned. "He's very loyal to me, even when skittish. He's my body guard, so he's very protective."

In response, the gray stallion tossed his head and stamped his hooves on the ground. His dark eyes glanced around as though searching for an enemy. I rolled my eyes at him. _Show off._

"And you've trained him yourself?"

I nodded, "Aiji and I did. He was a stubborn fool as a foal, but he's gained some brain cells."

Gaki snorted, pinning his ears back in distaste. His tail swished around a little before his plopped his butt in the dirt, looking like a big dog.

"If he could tell what to eat and not to eat," Shikaku smirked in a way that it reminded me of his son, "then I'd say he was a genius."

I quirked an eyebrow at him, "Is that a bet?"

The Nara man sat back on the ground, gesturing with his hand to the black bag. Snatching one of the gloves from the spot I had tossed them on, I slipped it over I dug in it, picking out a sample of each weed. I held the three up to the stallion as his dark eyes watched me.

"Gaki," his ears flickered at the sound of his name, "these three are deadly. Don't eat them, understand, boy?"

The horse brought his muzzle closer to the plants. He sniffed them, taking in their fragrance. His eyes stayed on mine for another moment, reading the warning in my dark blues before they fell to the weeds in my hand. The horse stared at them, analyzing and memorizing the shapes of the leaves and petals.

He snorted, turning his head away as he got up. Shikaku and I watched as he went over to what was left of the knapweed and stamped a hoof on one of them. He came back over to me and nuzzled into my shoulder.

"Good boy, Gaki," I praised, stroking his jaw. "Now you stay away from them, and keep the deer from the,, got it?"

With a shrill whinny, he bobbed his head in agreement.

Clapping came from behind me. I turned around to see Shikaku, too, bobbing his head, "You were right. He is a smart one."

I beamed proudly, "Told ya'."

"_Mizuko!_"

Shikaku and I both turned our heads to the call to find Yoshino waving her hand. I waved to Shikaku, told Gaki to listen to the man while I was away, and jogged over to the woman of the home.

I heaved a breath from the jog before I smiled to her, "Yes, Mrs. Nara?"

"Shikamaru went out for awhile," she told me, "so I was wondering if you wanted to go grocery shopping with me today. It'll be nice to have a girl instead of a lazy man." Her eyes narrowed at her husband, who was seeming to be talking to Gaki like they were making an agreement with each other.

An idea popped into my head.

_If I go shopping with her,_ I thought, _then I can get more of an insight on the village. I can find out some of the important spots to watch for and check out some of the people here. _I noticed the tilt in her head and the light innocence in her eyes._ Maybe she's just trying to get to know me? Or is this a way to find out if I'm still an enemy of the Leaf like I technically am since I'm being blackmailed by Orochimaru... Either way, I'll be getting the information I need.  
_

I turned to the older woman and smiled brightly, "Sure!"

"Great." Her strict expression softened more with the smile of her own. "I'll go get my bag and meet you out front."

"I'll go change," I laughed, looking down at the dirt on my knees and grass on my shirt.

I dusted most of it off in fear that the woman might take a broom to me if I dirtied her floors, then I headed inside after Yoshino. I went upstairs and changed into a fresh pair of jeans and a green tee. I grabbed a small white saddle bag with bright blue beads that Aiji had gotten me for my birthday last year, placing my wallet inside before I left the room.


	13. Shopping to Hunting

"What a drag..." He sighed, "I knew I shouldn't have said anything."

"Wow," Choji's eyes started sparkling again. "If I knew she could cook, I should've had her stay at _my_ house!"

Shikamaru just shook his head as he and his best friend waited for their third teammate. He felt kind of bad, leaving the girl at his house with his parents, but he had to check up with the preparations on the upcoming Chūnin Exams and his missions with his team. Not only that, but he was also anxious to get word from the Hokage about her.

"So, Shikamaru, what happened last night?" Choji quirked an eyebrow at him. "You've got bags under your eyes like you had a bad night."

He stared at his friend for a moment, "I do?"

"Guys!"

Both boys turned to find a perky blond in purple jogging their way. Once she was close enough, she panted for a few seconds in an attempt to catch her breath from the rush. She looked from Choji to Shikamaru, but she jerked her head back in surprise.

"Dang, Shikamaru," she said, "I never thought I'd see _you_ having a sleepless night."

"What are you two talking about?" He was becoming frustrated already.

Instead of answering him, Ino pulled out her compact. She opened it up to reveal a mirror in the top half and the dusty clay-powder in the bottom. She held it up to his vision so he could see.

They were right.

There were pale dark circles under his eyes, but he didn't understand why.

Had he been restless after he what he saw?

The song had played over and over in his head, but for how long did he stare into the darkness of his living room while the girl sneaked back into his own room and slept? Why had she sneaked out in the first place?

The questions kept popping into his head one after another.

"Hey, Shikamaru," Ino snapped her fingers in front of his face, pulling him back to reality. "You okay? You kind of dazed there."

"Yeah," he said in a kind of distant tone. "I was just thinking of something."

"Well, are you going to tell us what happened?" Choji stared worriedly at him.

Once again, he sighed, knowing that he might as well tell the two in front of him if he were to tell anyone.

He remembered the scene so vividly as he spoke of the night before. When he followed singing that had woken him up in the middle of the night, he found her standing on the roof of his house. The sound of her voice sounding light like a lullaby. The wind lifting her hair off her shoulders as though she had been floating in water. The way the moonlight shined against her skin, making it glow in the silver light.

"She really did look like a mythical," he told his friends. "It was incredible."

The two exchanged a look before Ino smirked, "Someone's got a thing for the new girl already."

"What?" Despite the irritation from the blond's words, a light warmth spread through his cheeks. "You have no idea what you're talking about, Ino. I don't even know her, so how could I have a _thing_ for her?"

"Really?" Choji smiled like he knew something that Shikamaru didn't.

"Really," he told his friends.

"You seem to be _getting_ to know her," Ino said in a singsong tone. She then raised her hand like she was waving to someone, as she called out, "Hey, Mizuko!"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes.

He knew Ino was just messing with him. The girls were always like that when it came to a guy and his crush...

Not that he was saying he liked the girl.

He only knew her for a day, there couldn't be any logical way to that.

Not like she was logical at all at this point.

The friendly voice behind him startled him, "Oh, hey, Ino. Choji."

His eyes went wide as Ino gave him a catty smile. Choji chuckled at his expression. He sent a glare to each other them before turning to find the brunette behind him.

She had her head tilted ever to slightly to the left with her fringe, or bangs, falling along with it. A bright smile shined at him as sapphires stared up at him. Her hands were behind her back.

"Hi, Shikamaru," she pursed her lips for a second as though trying to hide her smile, but it failed. "Your mom and I are shopping today, and she told me to bring over your lunch 'cause you forgot it."

His brows knitted together in confusion until the girl lifted a boxed lunch to his face. He took the box from her, muttering, "Oh, um, thanks."

"No problem," she grinned like he had praised her. "Well, that's all I wanted to come over for."

"Ohhh..." Choji whined. "You have to go so soon?"

Mizuko puffed out her cheeks, "Well, I can't keep Mrs. Nara waiting forever. I mean, I'd love to hang out with you guys, but you've got a mission to get to, don't you?"

Ino haughtily put her hands on her hips, "_We_ still need to go shopping together."

"Yeah, totally," the brunette nodded to the blond with a smile gracing her face.

With farewells and a wave, Mizuko ran off. They all watched her jog over to Shikamaru's mother, who waved to the three of them. They returned the gesture so Shikamaru wouldn't have to hear about it later. Though, his friends liked the strict woman for reasons that were still unknown to him.

* * *

"So, Mizuko," Yoshino turned to me as we walked away from the group, "when's your birthday?"

I looked over to the other woman, staring at her in complete confusion.

My birthday?

What could she possibly want with my birthday?

I decided that there was no harm in telling her, but I was going to ask about it, "March sixteenth. Why?"

She ignored my question, "So, you're a Pisces then?"

"Indeed I am."

"So, you'll be more into the world of magic and mystery rather than the meanings of cold, hard facts, right?"

I was partially taken aback at the woman's words. I did believe in a little bit of magic, but I had to face the real world when I was living in the Rain. I use to jump around without a care in the world once I was free until I found Aiji.

It was once I had the boy as my responsibility that I grew up a bit. I still jumped around, but that was just the natural energy escaping from me. I knew when to be an adult when it was needed.

"That would be a very interesting match," Yoshino seemed to be speaking more to herself that to me now.

I held up my hand slightly, "I don't even _want_ to- _Oooh_..."

My eyes found the window to a small jewelry shop. My legs started walking towards it without my conscious control over them. My attention had been completely consumed by a lovely necklace.

Around one of those headless neck mannequins was a blue crystal in the shape of a teardrop on a silver chain. It reminded me of the necklace I had left back at the Sound, minus the black rose in the base. It was a little on the expensive side, though.

"That's a pretty one, isn't it?" Yoshino said from over my shoulder.

I nodded, reaching a hand up to touch my bare neck, "It is."

She patted my shoulder, "C'mon, now. Let's get the shopping done first."

"Yes, ma'am." I sighed, "I should probably start looking for a job soon, too."

"So soon?"

I nodded, "I can't mooch off of you guys. That wouldn't be right. I'm a guest, but I'm willing to work for my rent."

"Independent," Yoshino nodded approvingly. "I like that. Well, let's get a move on."

"All right."

I reluctantly left the window to follow Yoshino around. We went from shop to shop, gathering all our groceries and needed products. I ended up carrying six out of seven bags by the end of the day.

* * *

We were on our way back to the Nara home when Yoshino suddenly came to a halt, "Hey, Mizuko?"

"Yes, Mrs. Nara?"

"Why don't you try applying for work here?"

I looked over to the older woman to find her staring at building. I let my gaze follow hers, noticing that it was a two-story high and rather long building. It looked kind of like a karaoke place. I read the sign just above the door:

_Karaoke Hiroba_.

"Why a karaoke place?" I questioned the older woman.

She glanced at me with a shine in her dark eyes, "You're a singer, aren't you? I've heard about how sometimes the customer would ask their waitress to sing with them, so I figured it'd be a good place to try applying. Your singing was really lovely last night."

I felt the heat fill my cheeks as I stammered, "Y-You heard that?"

"Of course," she smiled. "It was a lullaby, right? For Aiji?"

I nodded, fiddling with the hem of my shirt. _How embarrassing! I hope that she was the only one that heard it. It'd be horrible if the other two did as well._

"Well," she told me, "if you don't get the application now, then I'll go in there and get it for you."

I stared at her for a long moment.

She started tapping her foot as a warning that time was ticking.

Hurriedly, I went into the building with Yoshino following right after me. It was a bright room with posters of random bands on the creamy walls. There were some navy couches parked on the white tile flooring. I could heard a bunch of song mixing together down the hallways. The main desk was made from a type of stone with a woman sitting at it. She was flipping through a magazine.

At least she was until she saw us.

"You lookin' to karaoke?"

"Um..." I started getting a little nervous.

I had never applied for an actual job. Normally I was being paid by Orochimaru for accomplished missions or for the volunteer work I did in the villages I'd randomly visit. I was a ninja, not an employee. Why was I even doing this again?

"She's looking for an application," Yoshino perked up.

Oh, yeah...

The woman looked me over with her dark eyes before she ran a finely manicured hand through her short black hair. With a sigh, she slapped a piece of paper on the desk's surface.

I took it, folded it, and tucked it into the pocket of my pants, "Thanks."

"No problem," she nodded to me. "The place is pretty popular for the teens, so tell your friends about it if they haven't already heard."

"Sure."

Yoshino and I left the woman to her reading without anything more to be said. It was a little awkward, but it was done. Now I had to take a look at the application that was tucked away in my pocket. This was going to be interesting.

"That went well," Yoshino grinned, "didn't it?"

"Wonderfully," I grumbled.

_I hope that the Hokage will approve of me soon,_ I thought as I re-adjusted the grocery bags on my arms. _It's been days since the last time I was on a mission, and it wasn't even a challenging one. Kabuto was such a pain in the ass for making me take such a weak assignment. I hope that there's more challenging things here_.

* * *

When we got to the house, it was just the two of us. We unpacked out bounty, and Yoshino showed me where to put everything as I did my best to help her put it all away. She was patient with me as I continuously asked "Where?" when I didn't hear her.

"I think that's it," she told me, dusting off her hands like she'd had a hard day's work.

"Great," I sighed. "I'm going to take a look at that application now, all right?"

"All right." She went over to the kettle, "I'll make some tea for us."

"Great," I grinned.

I headed to the living room as I pulled the square sheet from my pocket. I found a comfortable spot on one of the couches, looking over the multiple questions. It seemed easy enough.

I wrote down my answers in neat handwriting when Yoshino exited the kitchen. We answered a few of them together as we sipped the tea. It was a pretty relaxing afternoon without the boy around.

We chatted idly until Shikaku returned from wherever he had been all day. Yoshino informed me that Shikamaru was going to return from his mission in the morning. It didn't really bother me, though.

I liked the parents.

They were an interesting pair.

I wouldn't want to make either one of them angry at me, though.


	14. Pervert Spiders

Tired from the long mission he had done the day before, Shikamaru sighed as he stepped through the front door of his house. Dawn hadn't even tainted the night sky with it's warm colors yet. Stars were tinkling in the background of the great white moon.

He had been on a simple escort mission for some merchants that didn't want to deal with bandits. Ino used her old _Mind Transfer Jutsu_ on the leader of the bandit pack, confusing the goons on the orders that had been originally given to them. Choji knocked them right out with his _Human Bolder_ before they even realized what happened. It had been a perfect plan.

As he was slipping his sore feet from his shoes, he looked around the darkness of the room. The house felt normal at least. He flicked on the light to find everything as it was when he had left.

He turned them back off and headed to stairs to check up on the second level. The steps creaked under he feet as he padded up them.

Once at the top, he went to his parents' room. He cracked the door open just even for him to peek in to find two lumps under the comforter. They were rising and falling ever so slightly, so he knew they were still breathing.

There was a groan from the wooden floor behind him, and he froze at the touch of a cool metal against his throat. He knew exactly who it was when the hushed voice reached his ears, "_Who are you, and why are you in this house? You better not have laid a single finger on these people, or I will slice your throat right here and now._"

_She's protecting my parents?_

"M-Mizuko."

He hated how his voice stuttered. The blade pressed against his neck sent a shot of fear through his body. He hoped, he _prayed_, that the girl would recognize his voice. If she didn't, then things wouldn't turn out too well for him.

The blade pulled away from his skin, "_Shikamaru?_ What are you doing here?"

"Well," he exhaled a sigh of relief, "this _is_ my house."

He felt her hand snake around his wrist and pull him away from the door to another room. He heard the door shut as she pushed him farther in and the click of the light being flicked on. It blinded him for a moment with the bright white light, but he blinked it away to find that they were in his room.

He turned to see the girl, in very ... _revealing_ clothing. Just shorts and a camisole. She had her head tilted to the side in a questioning way despite the slight tug of a frown on her mouth. One hand was positioned on her hip and the other held the kunai knife near her thigh. Her hair was down, falling swaying against the back of her knees. Her eyes narrowed on him like an interrogator.

"I meant why are you home so early. Weren't you on a mission?"

"We finished the job and came home early," he told her. "Why are you still awake anyway?"

"I couldn't sleep yet," she shrugged. The nonchalant expression was soon taken over by a concerned one, "Was mission successful? No injuries, right?"

"Yeah, it went fine." He quirked an eyebrow at her, "When did you get so worried?"

"Well, Choji and Ino became friends of mine, didn't they?" She smirked.

"Yeah," his chest fell heavily as he place a hand on the back if his neck, "I guess they have."

"Besides, I already miss being on a good mission. Missing the action and adrenaline from it."

"Really?"

"Look, Shikamaru," she crossed her arms, but he noticed that she was still holding the knife, "I understand that you don't trust me. Believe me. If I had someone from a different village around Aiji, then I'd have hawk eyes on them twenty-four/seven, too... But I like your parents, though. They're pretty cool people."

He just stared at her, biting the inside of his cheek as he listened to her words.

The girl sighed before she crossed the room and sat on his bed. She looked up at him with wary eyes, "I didn't have parents when I was growing up. I had the old woman, but not a mother and a father. I never knew what happened to them, so I figured they were dead. I don't even know their names, or what they were like. When I went shopping with your mom today, I was kind of happy. It felt comfortable. When your dad explain the plants to me, it was great. I had to spend most of my life learning on my own. I'm not going to let someone hurt the people that have been treating me so kindly." She ran a hand through her messy hair, "This isn't some way to make you suddenly start trusting _ me _personally, but, if anything, trust those words."

He took a moment, processing her words. _She's starting to see my parents like they're her own in a way. I'll have to talk to Lady Tsunade in the morning. _

She looked older with the tired expression that fell over her face. There was something about the girl that drew his interest, probably just curiosity. That's what he hoped it was. She just watched him as the silence thickened, but there was a type of understanding in the air between them.

"If I end up being on a mission with you one day," he said finally, "I'll be expecting you to cover me. Not attack."

A slow smile spread across her lips, "I've got your back as long as you've got mine."

He nodded to her, heading for the door. His hand was wrapped around the knob, cracking it when he looked over his shoulder, "Then we're in agreement. Have a good night, Mizuko."

"You, too, deerling."

With that, he flicked off the light and padded downstairs. He fixed the couch up with a sheet, pillow, and blanket from the closet. He went to the bathroom to changed into a pair of sweatpants and a tee before he went back to his makeshift bed.

Plopping his butt on the couch, he sat back for a few long moments.

_At least I know that she's willing to protect my parents if an intruder decided to come in,_ he thought._ I figured she might have attacked them when they weren't looking, but she actually wants to protect them. She could have easily killed me when she had the chance, too. I guess I was worrying over nothing. I should have given her more of a chance then_.

When he lowered his head, he noticed a white piece of paper on the coffee table. He picked it up and looked it over.

_An application?_ He blinked. _For Karaoke Hiroba? Is she looking for a job already? Does she really think that she's going to be approved by the Hokage so easily?  
_

He put the paper back on the table and stretched out on the couch. His mind wandered for awhile, thinking about the girl and what would happen if she ended up staying in the village. His friends obviously liked her, and so did his parents. He even felt a little envious to the girl.

But that nagging voice at the back of his mind wouldn't let her go so easily.

_What if it's still all an act, though? That Aiji kid is her number one priority, so if he were being held somewhere then she'll easily turn against us without a second thought. She'll probably be willing to slaughter the whole village if it meant protecting the kid. If that voice is as powerful as she claims it to be, then it'll be hard to defeat her._ Another reasoning slipped into his thoughts._ What if the kid wasn't even real? Maybe the kid could just be someone made up to get people to trust her through a sob story...  
_

"_Hush, little one,  
It will be okay.  
Our souls are connected,  
So you'll never be astray._"

He heard it.

He heard her singing upstairs. It was soft, but it was still audible enough to where he knew it was that lullaby from the night before. Was she going to sing it every night?

"_Hush, little one,  
I'll be in your heart,  
And you'll be in mine.  
Forever and always._"

_It was probably what she sang to the kid. She wouldn't go as far as to make up a lullaby for someone fake, would she? That would make no sense..._ he thought quietly. His eyes were starting to get heavy as exhaustion finally set in. _Or maybe she's trying to put me to sleep_. _Some kind of spell or something._

Either way, he ended up falling asleep for the night.

* * *

"_Kyaaaaaa!_"

He woke up with a start at the scream. His instincts made his hand snatch a kunai from his holster on the floor and bolt upstairs. He didn't bother putting his hair up. He could hear the water from the shower still running and see steam escaping from the door. He found Mizuko in a towel, dripping wet, against the the wall across from the bathroom. She was sitting on the ground, pushing herself away from the doorway as much as possible.

Shikamaru's face immediately flushed a burning red at the sight of the girl, but he shook it away at her state.

Her bewilder eyes landed on him before she scrambled to her feet and dashed behind him. His body went into an automatic tense, causing him to drop the kunai at his feet, when he felt her hands grip the shirt on his back. He could feel the shirt growing damp. She was clinging to him like a lifeline.

"Sh-Sh-Shikamaru," she stammered.

"Wh-What?"

He was trying to inch away from the soaked girl, but every step he took, she followed. It was like she was horrified of what might be in the bathroom. He tried to peak his head in, but she jerked him back like she was glued to him.

Was she that afraid of her own reflection?

Before he could turn his head to look at her, her arm shot out over his shoulder, almost hitting him in the facing, and pointed to the room, "_Kill_ _it!_ Kill it before it lays eggs!"

She was shaking him at this point. He wouldn't be surprised if his brain was rattling in his skull and losing brain cells from the fierce girl's panic.

He grabbed her hands and held them to make her stop. Her eyes were wide and frantic, like a child that had just seen a horror movie before going to sleep. She kept looking from him to the bathroom to him again.

"Kill _what_, woman?!"

Frustration made him snap at her, but he felt bad afterwards.

"The_ spider,_" she hissed. "There's a spider in the bathroom. It was _huge_! It climbed right next to my shampoo bottle and just stared at me. It was a pervert spider! It needs to be killed before it has pervert spiderlings!"

Okay, he didn't feel so bad anymore.

He stared at her for a long, _long_ moment.

_Okay,_ he thought, trying to find some kind, _any_ kind, of logical explanation to the situation, _so she's willing to stand on the back of a horse or on the roof of the house, but she's afraid of spiders? Am I missing something here? Is this really what's happening right now? Am I dreaming? Maybe it's just a dream. She nearly slit my throat last night, and now she's screaming about perverted spiders._

His parents came running in from wherever they were, probably outside, and they stared at the two of them. It was then that he realized that he was still holding the girl's hands, while she was in a towel, soaked from shower water. It didn't look good for him.

He immediately let go over her hands and took a step back. His eyes went to his father, who was smirking with his arms crossed, then to his mother, who looked _furious_. He hung his head as the girl ran over to his mother like a frightened child, which didn't really help the situation at all.

"Oh, Mizuko," his mother was looking over the girl then pulled her into protective arms, "what happened to you? Are you okay?"

She freed one of her arms and flailed it towards the bathroom, which was right next to him at this point, "Pervert spider!"

"Pervert... Spider?" His father's smirk turned into a frown at his parents sent Shikamaru deadly glares.

He ran a hand through his uncombed hair, "A spider's in the shower, and it freaked her out. She woke me up when she screamed."

His mother turned to Mizuko, who was staring wide-eyed at the bathroom, "Is this true, Mizuko?"

She nodded wildly as she flailed her hands, "_Huge_ pervert spider!"

His father raised an eyebrow at him, "And you were holding her hands?"

"She was shaking me!" He defended himself quickly.

"Uh...huh," his mother didn't seem to believe him at all, "Did you at least kill the"-she glanced at Mizuko-"pervert spider?"

"I went to take a look," he told her, "but she yanked me back before I could even go check it out."

"Might want to go take care of that now?"

He sighed heavily, "What a drag..."

Before his mother could start yelling at him about an attitude, he went in and looked around. The room had a light steam in it that was enough to cover the mirror like a blanket. The shower curtain was wide open with the water running from the shower head. He turned off the water so he wouldn't get soaked in the process, and that was when he saw it.

It was a little black spider that was no bigger than his thumb nail.

_Seriously?_

He could hear Mizuko yelling at him in the hallway, "Did you kill it yet?! Is it laying eggs?!"

He grabbed a piece of toilet paper, picked up the spider with it, and tossed it in the toilet. He flushed it and walked out, shaking his head at how dramatic the girl was about disposing such a small thing.

He narrowed his eyes at her.

_You woke me up because of_ this_? Seriously?_

He shook his head once more before he walked passed his parents and towards the stairway.

"Thank you, Shikamaru," she called in a singsong voice before he heard her footsteps disappear into the bathroom again.

"_Troublesome girl_," he grumbled on his way down.

"Oh, _Shikamaru_."

He froze after the last step.

He knew that tone better than he knew his own voice. It was his mother's venom voice. He's know it all through his childhood, and it use to be used against his father most of the time. She only used it when she was either forcing him to do something or when she was furious.

He placed his bets on the latter.

"So," he heard bones cracking beneath skin, "_why_ were you so close to Mizuko?"

He dared to look over his shoulder at his mother, and he easily regretted it. Her dark eyes were on fire with what he figured was rage. One fist was against the palm of her other hand in a knuckle-cracking way. She had an intimidating aura around her as she started going down each step of the stairs with a stomp.

He started to back away from his mother as she got closer, holding his hands up in defense, "I was getting her to stop shaking me like a mad woman. That's the only reason!"

With narrowed eyes, she looked him over like a predator looking over prey, "Are you positive, Shikamaru? That's the _only_ reason?"

"_Positive!_"

"Good," she crossed her arms. "I don't want to find you trying to seduce that poor girl into doing anything."

_If anything,_ he thought with an unamused expression,_ she's trying to seduce me with how she walks around here. Does she even understand the point of clothing in the first place?_

As his mother walked away, his father clamped a hand on his shoulder, "Don't worry too much about your mother. She's just looking out for Mizuko because she has a good feeling about the girl."

"I just with she wouldn't think that I'm trying to get the girl in bed every time I'm around her," he sighed. "I'm not trying to seduce her."

"I know, but you know your mother," his father chuckled before heading after his mother.

_What an eventful morning... Is it going to be like this every day with her here? If so, then I'm going to need to rent a hotel or stay over at Choji's. She's going to be really troublesome. Why couldn't she have been one of those quiet, do-it-yourself girls?_

He hung his head again with a sigh.


	15. Let's Chat

I rinsed and dried myself off from the shower, feeling much better now that the awful arachnid was gone. I slipped into casual clothing since there was probably going to be no need for my ninja gear for awhile. It wasn't anything extravagant or seductively revealing, just a white tank top and tan cargo shorts that went just passed my knees with a brown belt. I wore a pair of black fingerless gloves that I normally kept on me, even with my ninja gear. I towel dried my hair, fussed with the hairbrush, and threw it up in its usual ponytail.

I glanced at myself in the mirror and puffed my reddened cheeks at the memory of the recent event, "I can't believe they saw me like that. Damn that spider. I hope Shikamaru squashed it good. Oh, Kami, that was embarrassing, though."

I remembered the look he gave me when he realized I had woken him up from his sleep. He had jumped off the couch and ran upstairs to protect me without knowing what the enemy was. Once he found out it was just an arachnid, his eyes told me that he was irritated. In a way, it just made him look kind of cute.

_Cute?_ I stopped myself right there, staring wide-eyed at my reflection. _How could I possibly think _Shikamaru_ is cute? No, no, no. You can't go around thinking things like that, Mizuko._ I shook my head wildly for a moment._ If you start thinking that way, then you might get feelings. Feelings are bad on missions. Bad, bad, bad_.

Part of me, though, couldn't stop thinking about how handsome he looked with his hair down. It fell at his shoulders with a few strands falling over his face. It _was_ rather attractive.

I blinked the image away, realizing that there was a pink streak around my cheeks. I quickly splashed my face with cold water in an attempt to send it away. I sighed, dried off my face, ran the brush through my hair once more, and exited the bathroom with my pajamas rolled into a ball.

Once I stepped out, I bumped into a figure's arm. I rubbed my bruised nose, "Sorry, sorry."

"It's all right," I recognized the voice easily. My eyes met the voice's owner to find Shikaku and his little smirk. "Eventful morning, huh?"

I felt myself chuckle a little, "I guess you could say that."

"Hey, Mizuko?"

I tilted my head slightly in question at the man, "Yes, Mr. Nara?"

"Mind coming with me for a moment? I want to ask you something."

That worried me a little.

"All right, as long as I'm allowed to drop off my clothes in Shikamaru's room," I gestured to the small pile in my arms.

"Of course," he laughed. "My office is just down the hall from his room, okay?"

I nodded to him before I headed over to the opened door of Shikamaru's room. I placed my little pile of clothing on the bed, folding them real quick so that it wasn't just a mess. I left the now folded pile there and hurried over to the direction of Shikaku's office.

He was sitting at a wooden desk in the green-walled room. It had a paper door behind it for easy access to leave the home. There were books and papers scattered around the room, but there was a single leather chair that had been cleared off. It was a mess, but at least he cleared a spot for me to sit.

I stood awkwardly in the doorway until Shikaku looked up from a piece of white paper then back and said, "Come on in and have a seat, Mizuko."

I walked over to the leather chair and sat down promptly. I fidgeted with my gloves, feeling like I was sitting in the Hokage's office with how thick the silence was. It was like that for a few long minutes.

"Well," he finally spoke, "you've been living at the house for a few days now. Have you gotten a look around the village?"

I stared at him for a long moment before speaking, "Well, I went shopping with Mrs. Nara yesterday, but I hadn't really explored the village yet. I mean, I've walked with Shikamaru to that restaurant that his team goes to, the Hokage's office, and the hot springs, but that's about it."

"Ah, I see," he nodded along with the words.

"That's... not what you really wanted to ask me, though," I folded my hands in my lap and watched him, "is it, sir?"

"No, it isn't," he agreed. "I wanted to ask why you sing on the roof every night."

I chuckled, "Oh, that."

He raised a questioning eyebrow, "Hm?"

"Aiji use to have sleeping problems, so I'd sing that lullaby to him to help him sleep," I told him. "After I came here, I had some trouble sleeping also, worrying over Aiji and such. I decided to try singing the lullaby for myself. It made me feel a little better about missing him so much."

"Say the Hokage were to agree to you living here," he spoke like he actually believed it would happen, "would you plan on bringing Aiji here, or what might happen then?"

I blinked in surprise at the man.

I hadn't really thought of that.

What if the Hokage actually allowed me to stay here and become a Konoha ninja? Would that mean that I could actually cut the ties with the Sound and live here without worry of Orochimaru? Could I actually be able to live peacefully with Aiji in this village?

It sounded to perfect to be true, and it was.

_Orochimaru would never allow Aiji to leave his sight if he thought I'd be willing to run at the chance of leaving the Sound,_ I thought quietly. _He has the entire Sound Village wrapped tightly around his finger, so even the thought of breaking into it would be impossible unless I finish the mission. The mission is the key to his operation on Konoha_.

But there was no way I was going to say that aloud for Shikaku to hear.

Instead, I put on a pretty smile and said part of the truth, "Yeah. If I'm allowed to bring Aiji here, I'll jump at the chance. I don't care what I have to do to prove myself worthy of living in this village as long as it will be a safe home for him. If I have to shed my own blood for it to happen, I will."

"You talk more like a mother than a sister," a feminine voice spoke behind me, but I knew it was Yoshino.

I looked over my shoulder to find her walking in with three cups of tea, which meant she planned on joining the conversation. She set the tray down before she handed the two of us the steaming cups. Shikaku took a sip of his, watching me like he was expecting me to reply to the woman's statement.

So I did, "I've had him under my wing for three years until now. How do you not act like a mother hen to someone like that? It had been just me until I met a good friend. She passed around the time I found Aiji. It ended up being the two of us against the world."

_Including everyone in the Sound Village, even Sasuke at first,_ I added in my head.

Yoshino gave me a sad mother's smile, "I could only imagine how hard it must have been for you two to be out there on your own. Would you mind if I asked who your friend was?"

_Tayuya_.

"Wakana," I continued to talk with the plastered smile. "It meant _harmonious music_. She was a flutist, and I was the singer. We were a good team in the past."

"Do you know..." Shikaku hesitated.

"No," I shook my head, saving him the trouble of finishing, "I don't know how she passed. She went on a mission, and when she didn't return, the Lord of the land told me that she was most likely dead. I tracked her down to find only her body and her broken flute."

_It was in the Fire Nation's borders, too,_ I growled mentally. _Now that I think about it, it was probably a Konoha shinobi that killed her. If I were to ever get my hands on the person that killed her..._

Yoshino came over to me and wrapped her arms tightly around me. I flinched, not use to the affections from anyone that wasn't Aiji. She didn't seemed bothered by it, though, and kept her hold on me.

"You poor child," she said in my ear. "After all you've gone through, you still manage to find happiness in life. You're a precious girl."

Regret and guilt boiled in my gut as the woman hugged me. They were kind people, and I shouldn't have been lying to them like I was. Was all of it going to be worth it in the end?

_No,_ I told myself as she released me,_ I can't doubt what I'm doing. Aiji's life is at stake. He's more important than these..._ I stared at them for a long moment. _Kind-hearted people.._. A pain twisted in my chest. _I have to get out of this room._

I stood from the leather chair and bowed at the waist, "If it's all right, I'd like to go for a walk around town."

"On one condition," Shikaku said. I looked up to find him smiling, "You'll sing for us at dinner tonight."

Yoshino clapped her hands together, "That's a great idea! I'd love to hear you're voice, Mizuko."

Another painful twist.

I ignored it, smiled prettily, and nodded, "I'd love to."

"Great!" Yoshino grinned to her husband, "I'll make something special then."

"If you'll excuse me," I nodded to both of them before hurrying out the door and shutting it.

I walked swiftly down the hallway, passing Shikamaru without bothering to look at him. As my footsteps quickened, I heard his stop. I knew he was staring at me, but I didn't care. I had to get out of the house.

I went down the steps of the stairway, going through the kitchen. I opened the back door, stepping into the warm breeze of spring, before shutting it again.

I whistled for my horse, feeling the twist dig deeper in my chest.

Luckily, the gray stallion hadn't been far away or he had sensed my distressed as he galloped over to me. His dark eyes watched me with worry, but I shook my head at him. I didn't bother to saddle him or grab the reins and bit to put on him. I just used his back like a balance beam, using my upper body strength to push myself up, and swung a leg over. I used his mane as reins instead.

"I don't care where you take me, boy," I told him as her ears turned to my voice. "Just get me away from here."

In response, the gray steed tossed his head.

"_Ha!_"

Gaki took off into a full gallop as I clung to his mane.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry to not have said it sooner, but thank you mg4of6 for the fanart c: Greatly appreciate the effort that was put into it. It turned out lovely.**

**I know this chapter was short, too, but I'll try to make the next one longer and all that fun stuff. It'll be attempted to make it more interesting. So, yeah, I'm going to sleep for the night and will attack it in the morning. G'night~**


	16. Bad Apple

It felt like a long time before Gaki finally slowed his gallop into a canter, then to a trot, then to a walk. The wind had whipped through my hair, scratching against my face, as he had galloped through the pasture and into the forest behind it, eventually leaping over a fence that was used to keep the deer in. It was going to be horrid to get the knots out of it later, but the ride will have been well worth it. He had galloped passed the people's voices that were on the other side of a few rows of trees, taking me deeper into the forest and farther from the house. Adrenaline still pumped through my veins as I looked at my surroundings of the strange area the stallion had brought me to.

It was an odd little clearing with a stream. The water led to a small waterfall that fell from rocks that was twice the size of myself. The waterfall gave roared endlessly, which made me curious to how I couldn't have heard it on the way over. I figured that I had been too focused on the sound of Gaki's hoof beats. The grass around it came to my ankles, and it prickled against my bare feet. The trees with their lush canopy that stood proudly around the clearing added to the beauty of the scene.

I looked over to my stallion, "You brought me over here because it had the water, didn't you, boy?"

He gave an agreeing whinny and tossed his head. His hoofs tapped against the earthy land as he walked over to me. The gray horse pushed his velvety muzzle against my shoulder as though he were urging me to vent to him.

Whether or not that was the actual case, I took it as that. I pressed my forehead against his and sighed, "I don't know what to do, boy. I can't keep going on like this. It's starting to kill me from inside."

He snorted but didn't pull away. His dark eyes just stared into my own with a type of understanding. I figured that he liked the family as well.

"They're good people. The Nara family, and Ino, and Choji, and Asuma," I told him. "I don't want to do this anymore, but I have to for Aiji's sake. Isn't there a way to save them all?"

The horse murmured something in his own language.

"I can't go telling the Hokage, or else I'll be kicked out for sure," I explained, figuring that was what he had said. I thought about what I had just said for a moment then shook my head, "No, I wouldn't be kick out. I'd be held under total interrogation with probably one of the most aggressive interrogators they have."

He pawed at the ground with his front hoof.

"I don't know, boy." I sighed heavily once more, "I just don't know."

Gaki did pull away then, but his head lowered to a pocket on my right thigh. He nudged it with his nose and gently tugged at it with his teeth.

"What is it, boy?" I reached at hand into my pocket, feeling tiny spheres that had to have been no bigger than a finger nail. I looked at the horse with confusion, "Why would you want a song pill?"

The stallion shook his head from side to side, stamping his feet against the ground. His whinny told me what he was thinking after he looked at me with a certain intensity in his eyes.

"You want me to sing, huh?"

His head bobbed in agreement.

"All right, pretty boy," I felt a small smile tug my lips as I pulled my hand away from my pocket, leaving the pills there.

It had been an experimentation that I had successfully made that would allow an animal to sing along if I needed it to. I never really understood why I wanted to create the pill, but I was glad I did. It had been helpful in some moments when an enemy ninja would attack while Gaki and I were on the road for a mission or errand. It was also helpful when I was upset. Aiji and Gaki use to try singing me a song.

"Okay, boy," I told him as he sat on the ground like a giant dog.

I walked through the water to a flat stone that was in the middle of the small pond around the waterfall. I cleaned off my dirty feet before stepping onto the cool stone surface. I made a small half circle around myself with my foot, took a deep breath, and sang.

"_Ever on and on I continue circling,_  
_With nothing but my hate in a carousel of agony,_  
_Till slowly I forget and my heart starts vanishing._  
_And suddenly I see that I can't break free-I'm_  
_Slipping through the cracks of a dark eternity,_  
_With nothing but my pain and the paralyzing agony._  
_To tell me who I am, who I was._  
_Uncertainty enveloping my mind,_  
_Till I can't break free, and..._

_Maybe it's a dream; maybe nothing else is real,_  
_But it wouldn't mean a thing if I told you how I feel._  
_So I'm tired of all the pain, of the misery inside,_  
_And I wish that I could live feeling nothing but the night._  
_You can tell me what to say; you can tell me where to go,_  
_But I doubt that I would care, and my heart would never know._  
_If I make another move there'll be no more turning back,_  
_Because everything will change, and it all will fade to black_

_Will tomorrow ever come? Will I make it through the night?_  
_Will there ever be a place for the broken in the light?_  
_Am I hurting? Am I sad? Should I stay, or should I go?_  
_I've forgotten how to tell. Did I ever even know?_  
_Can I take another step? I've done everything I can._  
_All the people that I see I will never understand._  
_If I find a way to change, if I step into the light,_  
_Then I'll never be the same, and it all will fade to white._

_Ever on and on I continue circling,_  
_With nothing but my hate in a carousel of agony,_  
_Till slowly I forget and my heart starts vanishing._  
_And suddenly I see that I can't break free-I'm_  
_Slipping through the cracks of a dark eternity,_  
_With nothing but my pain and the paralyzing agony._  
_To tell me who I am, who I was._  
_Uncertainty enveloping my mind,_  
_Till I can't break free, and..._

_Maybe it's a dream; maybe nothing else is real,_  
_But it wouldn't mean a thing if I told you how I feel._  
_So I'm tired of all the pain, of the misery inside,_  
_And I wish that I could live feeling nothing but the night._  
_You can tell me what to say; you can tell me where to go,_  
_But I doubt that I would care, and my heart would never know._  
_If I make another move there'll be no more turning back,_  
_Because everything will change, and it all will fade to black_

_If I make another move, if I take another step,_  
_Then it all would fall apart. There'd be nothing of me left._  
_If I'm crying in the wind, if I'm crying in the night,_  
_Will there ever be a way? Will my heart return to white?_  
_Can you tell me who you are? Can you tell me where I am?_  
_I've forgotten how to see; I've forgotten if I can/_  
_If I opened up my eyes, there'd be no more going back,_  
_'Cause I'd throw it all away, and it all would fade to black._"

Gaki gave a whinny of approval, and I felt better. The stallion stood up and came over to me, walking through the cool waters. He nudged my shoulder, watching me with knowing eyes. I wrapped my arms around his strong neck to hug him.

"You were right, boy," I smiled, but it quickly faltered, "but I still don't know what I'm going to do about this situation that I've gotten myself into."

Gaki pulled away from me, but it was in more of an alert way. I watched his ears flicker for the intruder before his head turned into a specific direction. It was right about now that I had wished I grabbed one of my kunai knives or my daggers before I left the house.

"Hey," a male's voice drew closer as a figure came from the forest's shadows, "who are you? Are you knew here?"

I stared at the stranger, figuring that he was about my age, and said nothing to him. His eyes were unusually narrow as he stared back, slowly walking over. He had a forehead protector tied to his forehead with the Konoha symbol on the metallic plate and spiky brown hair fell over it. The boy had red markings on both his cheeks that resembled fangs against his tanned skin. He wore leather, the jacket and pants, which made my reaction to it look a bit painful since there was no _way_ I'd be able to move leather pants. I noticed the big white dog that was walking with him, too.

I figured that Gaki also noticed the canine because he stood protectively in front of me, his head lowered and eyes narrowed. I heard his hooves digging into the dirt, ready to charge if needed to.

"Whoa," he held his hands up defensively. "Calm your horse. We're not a threat if you're not. Akamaru and I were just talking a walk, and we caught your scent."

The stallion's head turned to me, waiting for judgement on the strangers that had entered our little hideaway. I thought about it for a moment, figuring that all of the shinobi in this village couldn't be as kind.

I continued to stare at the boy, probably looking slightly like a frightened rabbit staring at a predator, "Who are you?"

"I asked you first," a cocky grin spread across his features.

I felt a smirk tug at my lips as I retorted, "It's only polite if you state your own name before asking for someone else's."

"Then you should probably state your name," the boy continued to grin.

"You asked first," I said, using his own statement against him.

"All right, all right," he laughed for a moment, easing the tension in my shoulders and seeming to make Gaki back off a little. "I'm Kiba Inuzuka, and this is Akamaru."

"Kiba and Akamaru," I nodded. I let my gaze fall to the canine at the boy's side, "Does he bite?"

"Only if you're a threat like I said, or I command him to," Kiba replied.

I looked at the boy with a teasing grin, "I was talking to the dog."

The boy looked like he was tied between laughing and pouting at my response. Akamaru barked deeply, which made me flinch. He was a big, _big_ dog. He didn't seem as bad as when I first saw him though. The dog was wagging his tail contentedly when I'd look at him and give me a big puppy grin. It was kind of cute.

"I said my name," Kiba stated, "and now it's your turn."

I crossed my arms, "My name is Mizuko Kurosawa, and this lovely stallion is Gaki."

"_Brat?_" He raised a curious eyebrow.

"Yes, brat." I puffed out my cheeks for a moment before looking at the horse, "Is everyone going to have the same response as Shikamaru to your name?"

Gaki snorted.

"Ohhh," the boy started nodding, "you're the girl living with Shikamaru, huh?"

"How many people know about my living arrangement?" I tilted my head at him.

"I'd say all of the Rookies," he shrugged. "Ino likes to gossip."

"Rookies?"

"You don't know about the Nine Rookies?"

I shook my head.

"Jeez, I figured Shikamaru would've at least have said _something_ about all of us," he groaned, which was followed by a confused whine from Akamaru. "The Nine Rookies were nine students that graduated from the academy and passed the test to become a squad. There's Team Asuma: Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji; Team Kurenai: Me, Akamaru, Hinata, and Shino; then Team Kakashi: Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke."

I stiffened at the Uchiha's name and prayed that it hadn't been noticed by the boy in front of me.

He didn't seem to have saw it, "Yeah, but Sasuke left the village a few years ago. I was on a team that was suppose to retrieve him, but it didn't turn out to well when we ran into a bunch of enemy ninja."

"Enemy ninja?" I tilted my head for curiosity, but I knew my veins were throbbing beneath my skin.

Tayuya had left with the others of the Sound Ninja Five to bring the Uchiha to the Sound. I remembered how she was excited about being able to go on a _real mission _after she had warmed up to me. I remembered how all of them ended up dead, even Kimimaru. He had been such a sweet boy despite Orochimaru's brainwashing. Then again, back then, I had been brainwashed, too.

"Yeah, they called themselves the _Sound Ninja Five_, or something." Kiba shivered. "I'll never forget that fight with Sakon and Ukon."

I felt my heart break a little.

Sakon and Ukon had been more like rivals to me since our rooms were just down the hall from each other. They teased me, but I'd always find a way to get my revenge. Sakon was the kinder one, though. Ukon would always call me a pest or something of that nature.

_So Tayuya's murder is in this village then,_ I met Kiba's gaze, _and this boy killed Sakon and Ukon. How could it even be possible? He doesn't even appear to be that strong... but you can't judge a book by its cover, I guess._

I buried my anger when the boy spoke up again, "I never really liked Sasuke in the academy years 'cause I always thought he was a snob and that he thought he was better than everyone else, but he was a comrade from this village. That's why I went after him with the group. I was going to do what ever I needed to in order to get him back, but we failed. Naruto's still planning on bringing him back one day, though."

"I... I see."

I couldn't really believe my ears. Sasuke had left his village in order to become stronger for his revenge against his brother, bad mouthing the Konoha shinobi about how they were weaklings and such, when he actually had people that really cared about him in the end. Even years after his disappearance, his comrades were still looking for him.

It made my blood boil even more.

_How could Sasuke have even thought about bad mouthing these people?_ I growled in my head._ How could he have even think of leaving a village where he had so many people that cared for him? I swear, the next time I see that boy, I'm going to tear his damn Sharingan eyes out and nail them to my wall!_

Gaki gave a small whinny, sensing my displeasure as he lipped at my shoulder. I shook my thoughts away to scratch his jaw and looked at Kiba, "I hope that you guys will find him and be able to bring him back home."

His grin spread across his face again, "Thanks."

"Well, I'm going to continue my walk around the village," I told him. "I guess I'll be seeing you around then, Kiba?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "It was nice meeting you, Mizuko. If you ever need something, then give me a yell."

"Nice meeting you, too," I waved as the boy turned to leave. I looked at my horse, "Now if only we can figure out where we are to get out of this lovely place. Do you know the way?"

The horse snorted, making it seem more like a laugh than anything.

"I didn't think so..."

I looked back to Kiba's retreating form. I hesitant for a moment before I called out to him, "_Kiba!_"

He turned back, tilting his head at me in question, "Yeah?"

I gave a pathetic smile to him, scratching the back of my head, "You know how to get out of here?"

I heard him laugh as he gestured for me to follow him, "Yeah, c'mon."

I hurried after the boy and his dog with Gaki at my heels. I was going to receive strange looks walking like how I was. If it wasn't for the horse, it was going to be for being barefoot. It didn't seem like Kiba minded, though, so I guess that was okay.

_Why did everyone in the village so far have to seem so kind? Was there something wrong with all of them, or have they never heard of my titles?_ I sighed mentally, falling into step with the boy and his dog as we walked passed the various trees and their leafy tops. _This is going to end badly. I know it is. They must never know the truth of my intentions.._. Especially not the Nara family. I don't think I'd be able to forgive myself because of the kindness they've given me. Yoshino and Shikaku made me feel like I've already been accepted. Ino and Choji... Shikamaru. It would all just go straight to Hell.

Gaki snorted behind me.

I looked over my shoulder at him to find the steed watching Kiba carefully. I pushed my thoughts away for now. It was time to enjoy what I could while I was away from the Sound Village and its snake king. This was my breath of fresh air before I had to go rescue Aiji from Orochimaru's evil clutches.

_Aiji._

Another thing to think about, but it will be for when I'm alone once more.

* * *

**(A/N): There is a possibility that we may be having an interview with the lovely Mizuko Kurosawa, Aiji, and Shikamaru once the series is finished, or before that. If there are any questions that are wanted to be asked, please post to who the question is towards and what the question is (obviously) in the review. c: I thought it might be a fun thing, and Mizuko agreed after a long, _long_ time of begging and pleading. So, yeah, she agreed. We're allowed to do it.**

**Song: _Bad Apple_**  
**English Dub Artist: Christina Vee**  
**Link: ( watch?v=cRvGnq_WpAQ)**


	17. Hot Chocolate

He stood silently next to his teacher and his teammates as Asuma went over the report for the mission. Tsunade was silent as she listened over the facts of what happened with the bandits, but she'd nod every once in awhile to prove that she was listening.

"We were able to easily defeat them," Asuma pulled out his cigarette to sigh out the smoke, "and the merchants were safely escorted."

"Nice job, you guys," Tsunade smiled at the job well done. "Thank you for your assistance for this mission. You're dismissed for now."

"All right!" Choji grinned, already heading for the door, "Let's get some barbequed pork!"

Ino shook her head as she followed after him, "Is food the only thing you can think of?"

Asuma smiled, but he paused at the door, "Shikamaru, are you coming?"

It was then that he remembered that he was still standing in the same spot. He looked over his shoulder at his teacher, "I'll meet you guys there. I have some things I'd like to discuss with Lady Tsunade..." He turned back to the woman behind the desk, adjusting the small bag on his back, "That is if it's okay with you."

She raised a questioning eyebrow, but she nodded, "All right."

Once he heard the door shut, he sighed.

"What is it, Shikamaru?" Tsunade's brows knit together in slight confusion. "Is this about Mizuko?"

"In a way, yes," he looked at the Hokage. "I want to take her on the next mission we go on."

"Say _what!?_" Shizune, Tsunade's personal assistant, squeaked with her eyes nearly bulging out of her skull.

"Why would you want to take her out so soon after she just got here?" Tsunade didn't have such a dramatic response to the request, but she still seemed confused. "Especially on a mission where anything could happen."

He sighed again, "It's a drag, but my mom told me to put some trust into her. When I got back home from the mission, I went to check in on them to make sure that everything was okay. Mizuko nearly slit my throat because she thought I was an intruder trying to attack them."

"You just said that she nearly slit your throat last night," the Hokage frowned.

"Because she thought I was an_ intruder,_" he repeated.

"It could have been an act to trick you," she warned.

"That's why I want to take her on a mission," he told her. "Obviously it won't be alone. I'd like to have a small team with me, but I want to put her to a test to see if she's really going to turn on us. If we're on a mission, it'll be easy for her to come back and say that we were all killed when it was she that actually did it."

"And that's how we'll know," she nodded her understanding.

"Exactly."

"I still don't like the idea of risking it, Lady Tsunade," Shizune said quickly, holding the pig like a stuffed animal. "It's too dangerous to attempt such a thing without complete proof that she won't play a friendly fire on them."

"If she doesn't," Shikamaru looked over at the frantic assistant, "then it'll show that she's on our side."

"But-"

Tsunade cut her off, "All right. I'll give you a mission."

"_Lady Tsunade!_" Shizune shouted. "Won't you just listen to me for once?!"

"_Shizune,_" the Hokage held the authoritative tone easily as she looked at the other woman. "I am the Hokage of this village. My job is to protect the citizens that live here. If my shinobi feels like he has to take our newcomer on a mission to prove her worth to us, then that's what's going to happen." Her bronze gaze locked with Shikamaru's eyes, "I'll have a mission ready for you by tomorrow. Come here first thing in the morning to receive it and think about who you'll want on your team. _Dismissed!_"

"Yes, ma'am," he gave a small bow. "I appreciate the opportunity."

He headed for the door when the Tsunade's voice stopped him, "I hope you know what you're doing, Shikamaru."

_You and me both,_ he thought as he left the room.

* * *

He was walking out of the stone fencing that surrounded the Hokage Tower when he saw the girl. His eyebrows raised when he saw she was with his old classmate, Kiba Inuzuka. She was laughing and bouncing around with the huge Akamaru. Shikamaru had never expected the puppy from a couple of years ago to have grown so big, but the Inuzuka _did_ take care of their dogs.

When her sapphires found his eyes, her face lit up like someone had set off fireworks. It was unusual, and he didn't like how it made his cheeks warm. He blamed it on the teenage hormones from seeing her pajamas last night and the shower incident from earlier in the morning. What guy wouldn't flush at the sight of a girl he had seen nearly naked in front of him on multiple occasions?

"Shikamaru!" Mizuko ran over to him, and Kiba was awkwardly running behind her with his arms stretched out. As she got closer, he felt a twist in his chest when he noticed that she was holding his hand, "Shikamaru, I had no idea that you were such an awesome guy!"

His eyebrows furrowed in confusion for a moment before he figured that Kiba was probably running his big mouth. Instead of snapping at him like he wanted to, he decided he was going to joke with the girl, "What, you didn't think I was awesome before?"

She grinned, "I thought you were just a run-around."

"A run-around?" He raised a question brow at the girl's unusual word.

"Kind of like an errand boy," she shrugged. The corners of his mouth turned down at her accusation, but she only laughed. "But, seriously, I didn't think that you were the only one to have been able to pass the Chūnin Exams two years ago _and_ go out of your way to hunt down a lost comrade!"

The girl was rambling on like an excited puppy, but there was something in her eyes that told him she was holding back on something. He wanted to know what it was but didn't pressure on about it.

"Jeez, fish face," Kiba laughed, "you act like he's some kind of rock star."

"Fish face?" Shikamaru questioned, shifting his eyes from the girl to the guy.

"Will you stop calling me that?" she huffed. She pouted, her lips pursed as she muttered to him, "Kiba's been calling me that because he thinks I look like a fish when I pout. The mutt."

"Whatever, fish face," Kiba's shoulders bobbed in an amused way. "I'm going to head home. It was nice hanging out with you, though. We should do it again some time."

Akamaru barked in what seemed like an agreement.

"'Kay," she waved happily to him. "I'll see you around then, dog boy. Bye, Akamaru."

As they walked off, Mizuko turned back to Shikamaru and grinned at him. He stared at the girl for a long moment since her smile seemed a little forced now.

"What's going on with you?" He asked her, "Why are you smiling like that?"

She just shook her head, her fringe moving around her face.

He rolled his eyes and pulled the bag off his shoulder, digging through its contents, "Hey, I brought something for you anyway."

"Hm?" Her head tilted slightly, but her eyes widened when he pulled out her heels, "Oh, Kami! I completely forgot them at the house, didn't I?

"Yep," he handed over the shoes.

"You really are great, deerling," she told him as she fussed with her heels. "Thanks a bunch."

"No problem," he scratched the side of his face, noticing that his cheeks were still a little warm.

"Hey, so," she looked up at him, tapping the ground with her foot as if to adjust the shoe, "what are you doing now?"

_Tell her about the mission tomorrow,_ he told himself. _That way it won't look like you're trying to bring her with you._

"Nothing really," he replied with a shrug. "Figured I'd go find the team and celebrate a successful mission."

"Ah, okay," she nodded, but the conversation made him feel a little awkward. "Well, I'm going to wander around a little more before I head back to the house. Kiba introduced me to his teammates when we ran into them, so that was fun."

He sighed, "You want me to take you around town for awhile?"

"Oh, no," she started shaking her head, causing her hair to whip around her. "It's okay. I can figure out my way around here. You should go enjoy yourself while you can before you have to babysit me again."

He shrugged, "Babysitting is a drag, but babysitting _you_ is troublesome."

"All right," she grinned again, "let's take that walk then."

"What have I done?" He muttered to himself as she linked her arm with his.

She only laughed at his response.

* * *

They walked around town for awhile as Shikamaru pointed out little shops that were well known. She seemed to have been interested in them, but she still dazed every once in awhile. He noticed that when she went into deep thought, a little frown would tug her lips and her eyes would get that distanced look in them.

She blinked, and the look disappeared instantly. His head jerked back a little when hers whipped to look at him, "Hey, Shikamaru?"

"Yeah?"

"Can we go over to that little shop over there?"

His eyes followed the direction her outstretched arm was pointing towards to find a small building wedged between two taller ones. It was a little bookshop, and it didn't seem very popular compared to the amount of people bustling around it to get into the larger shops. He looked down at the girl to see that she was no longer looking at him but at the shop.

"Sure," he said. "Let's go."

He followed after her as she walked over, staying only a step behind her as they entered. It looked better inside than it did out, and it looked bigger, too. Bookshelves were neatly lined to where at least three people between them. There was a little café off to the side with couches and tables for lounging. A few people were wandering with books gathered in their arms or sitting around.

"Hey, Mizu-" he turned to say something, but the girl was gone.

He looked ahead, just able to catch the sight of a tail of brunette disappearing behind one of the shelves. With a sigh, he headed after it to find that she already had three books in her arms. She was chewing on a corner of her lip, running a slender finger over the book covers as she skimmed the titles. A pair of thick-rimmed black glasses were on her face.

"Where did those come from?" He arched an eyebrow as she looked at her focused state.

Her chewing came to a halt so that her lips could spread into a small smile, "From my pocket. I keep a pair of reading glasses with me even though I don't really need them as much as I use to since my eyes have gotten better. Reading's been a hobby of mine when I wasn't on a mission or training. I figured that since I'll have a bunch of free time, I should find some books to check out."

He nodded even if he figured that she wasn't paying attention. Her sapphires stayed on the paper backs and the hard covers. Every few moments, she'd pluck a book from the shelving and skim the summary of its story. She put most of them back, seeming uninterested in the author's writing. A rare occasion was when she added one to her stack.

Shikamaru simply folded his arms behind his head as he followed the girl amongst the rows of shelves. In a way, she reminded him of a tomboy version of a librarian. All she needed was a ruffly blouse and the pencil skirt.

_Dammit,_ he swore as he felt the heat warm his cheeks once again. He immediately sent his gaze to the ground._ What a drag... Why did the Hokage have to put a girl in my care? Is this suppose to be some kind of humor for her?_

The sound of humming brought him out of his thoughts. He looked up to find the girl looking at him in question, her head tilted in its usual way. She had about five or six books in her arms, but she was carrying them with ease.

"Deerling, are you okay?" she asked.

He had gotten use to the nickname, even if she hadn't used it very often, "Yeah, I'm just deep in thought."

"If you think too much," she smiled, "then you'll get wrinkles early in life."

He just stared at her for a long moment, a frown forming on his face._ Did she really just say that?_

"Just saying," she shrugged and headed towards the counter.

"_Troublesome,_" he muttered before following after her.

She paid the guy that was working the register then said her thanks to him. Mizuko positioned the bag in the crook of her elbow as she looked up at him.

"Hey," she said, "you wanna' check out the café real quick before we head out?"

"Um," his brow knit together in slight confusion for a moment, "sure."

She playfully rolled her eyes, grabbing his wrist as she headed over to another counter. There was a girl at this one, seeming bored until her eyes landed on them. Her brown eyes fell to where the brunette was holding his wrist before she looked over to the girl. The cashier gave her an irritated look, but she gave Shikamaru a partially seductive smile.

It sent a chill down his spine.

"What can I get you, sugar?" the café tender purred, keeping her eyes on him. "You can have _any_thing you like."

He didn't really like how the girl was looking him over. He felt finger intertwine with his own, causing him to look down to find Mizuko's hand tangled with his. The Mizuko's body had moved closer to his own, her free hand sliding up his arm to his shoulder. The bag of books bumped into him a few times, but it was nothing really to think about,

"Dearest," she said, resting her head against his tensed shoulder where her hand was, "is it okay if I got the hot chocolate? I'm in the mood for something a little warm."

The girl at the counter scowled at her, jealousy burning in her eyes. Mizuko smiled coldly to her in response, but Shikamaru understood, or at least hoped, that she was acting. The brunette must have felt his uncomfortable state either way.

"Um, sure," he cleared his throat. He looked at the girl behind the counter, "One hot chocolate for her."

The smile quickly placed itself back on the girl's lips as she looked at him, "Anything for you?"

"I'm fine."

Her shoulders sagged heavily as she turned her back to them to make the drink. As he placed the money on the counter, he noticed that Mizuko's hand had left his shoulder to cover her mouth. She was trying to muffle her giggles. He felt his own hand cover his face to hide a deep blush as he remembered that she was still holding his hand.

_What the hell is wrong with me?_ He mentally questioned. _Seriously, this is only acting to get the cashier away from me. Why is my face getting so warm because of this?_

The café tender put the cup of hot chocolate down on the counter hard enough to cause a few drops of the drink to hop onto the lid and the counter itself. She sent Mizuko a cold glare, which the girl easily returned. The cashier handed him the receipt, being sure to brush her fingers against his before he pulled the brunette away from the counter with her drink.

They quickly exited the bookshop with Mizuko ranting and raving under her breath about the nerve of the cashier making him uncomfortable like that. Her hand soon left his to cradle her drink and blow the steam away from the small opening on the lid. She sipped away on the spilled bits before taking a sip from the actual opening.

"Hoooot!" She whined, fanning her tongue. "Hot, hot, hooooot!"

"No kidding." Shikamaru could help but laugh, "_Hot_ chocolate being hot? Never would have guessed."

"Zo 'kay, smert ashk," she glared at him, talking with her tongue out. "'Nough wit zeh sarcazim."

He cupped his hand against his ear playfully and leaned down a little, "Want to try saying that again?"

She stuck her tongue back in her mouth and repeated, "_Okay_, smart ass! 'Nough with the sarcasm."

He had a little grin hooked on his lips as the girl pouted. Whatever seemed to have been bothering her earlier must have slipped her mind for the time being because she was acting like herself again, or at least what he knew as herself.

"What are you doing now?" he asked, watching her jaw move oddly.

She stopped whatever it was for a moment to tell him, "I folded my tongue back to feel the numbness. It's weird."

"Why would you be trying to feel the numbness of your tongue?" His brows knit together at the strange girl.

"'Cause it feels _weird_!" She held out the cup to him, "Here, you take a sip and try it."

He coughed a laugh, "There is no _way_ you're getting me to do it."

"C'mon," she pressured on with a whiny voice. "Don't be such a baby."

"Not happening, Mizuko," he told her.

A smile spread on her lips, "What, you think I got koodies or something?"

"If that's what will get you to stop, then sure, we'll go with that."

Her cheeks puffed out in a pout.

"Troublesome girl."

"Hey, I'm a mermaid!" she turned her head away, sipping her hot chocolate angrily.

"Fine, then," he quirked an amused eyebrow. "Troublesome _mermaid_."

She stuck her tongue out at him in response.

He laughed at her.

* * *

**(A/N): Yeah, yeah. I know it's been awhile since I've written another chapter. Don't blame me though. I went to Europe (England, France, and Italy) for a little while, and there was little to _no_ Internet, okay? Just be happy that I came home, rested up a little, and got right back to work! I think this was a cute little scene, though. Shikamaru got all blushie in it 3 Anyway, I'll try to get some more done sooner or later. 'Kay? 'Kay. Thank you to all my lovelies for the reviews and such.**


	18. Pinky Promise

I wasn't able to get Shikamaru to take a sip of the stupid hot chocolate until after it was cooled off, which I pouted about. He seemed to have been amused by it, though.

After wandering town for a little while, I ended up joining Shikamaru and his team at _Yakiniku_ Q for lunch. I had found a seat between Ino and Choji with Shikamaru and Asuma sitting on the other side. The team didn't seem to have minded that I joined their little celebration party, and I even got a bear hug from Choji when I got there. I was starting to get one of those feelings that we would turn out to be pretty good friends.

"So, Shikamaru," Ino leaned over the table a little to show her curiosity, "what did you need to talk to Lady Tsunade about?"

He glanced at her sideways, "Nosy much?"

"Pffsh," was her reply.

The conversation caught my interest, but I played my poker face to make it seem like I didn't even hear what they had said. If Shikamaru stayed with the Hokage, then maybe they had said something about me during their little chat.

Scratch that.

Of course they did.

Why wouldn't they if I was under his care and if they were to report missions as a team? I've always known for shinobi to report the success or fail of the assignments as a whole so the Lord or Lady had each side of the story in case someone tried to leave something out. I remembered it from when I use to do little missions to earn some money for food and supplies when I use to wander the countries.

"Mizukoooo," Choji waved his chopsticks in front of my face to try gaining my attention.

I blinked out of my little daze and looked at him, "Yeah, Choji?"

"How did you like looking around the village?" he had one of his cute little grins that reminded me of a hamster.

That caught Ino's interest, "Oh, yeah! Shikamaru told us about how he ran into you and_ Kiba_ on his way out from the Hokage's office."

I sighed as she waggled her eyebrows at the dog boy's name. I knew that she was trying to make it seem like there was something going on between me and the boy I had just met, but there really wasn't. He just popped out of the trees when I was lost, and we just hung out for awhile.

"Don't even think about it, Ino," I glared at her. "I'm not looking for a relationship so soon after coming here. I'm just trying to get a job settled in so I could earn a little cash."

"Oh, yeah," Shikamaru's brows furrowed a little. "I found that application on the table last night. What was that all about?"

He gave me a look at the_ last night_ part. I sent him a sheepishly apologetic smile for nearly putting a kunai in his throat, but he didn't seem to have blamed me too much for it. He knew I was only trying to protect the adults from any possible danger.

I waved dismissively, "I use to work during my wanderings. My titles would allow me to get a few missions from the lord or lady of a land, but I normally did regular non-shinobi work like working at coffee shops, bookstores, karaoke bars, and stuff like that."

"Really?" Asuma raised an eyebrow, making me flinch since it was the first time he had really spoken during the entire meal after Shikamaru pulled him away to talk. He had been casually puffing on his cigarette and flicking the ashes off if it burned for too long. "Guess we learn something new every day, huh?"

I blinked, biting down on my lip for a moment to find an appropriate title to call him. Not finding one, I decided to just ask my question, "Are you alright?"

"I appreciate your concern, Mizuko, but I'm fine. I just have a lot on my mind." A light smoke floated from his cigarette as he smiled at me, "You can just call me Asuma or sensei, by the way."

"But..." I fiddled with my chopsticks awkwardly, "But I'm not part of your guys' team, so I shouldn't be able to call you such a title."

"You've trained and celebrated with the team," Choji raised his glass. "All you need now is to go on a mission with us, and I'd say that you're ready to be in it."

"Totally," Ino grinned. "We all like you so far. Like Choji said, you just need to go on a mission with us and you'll be accepted in."

I felt something pulse through me at the word _accepted_. The corners of my mouth pulled into a smile as I looked to Asuma to find him nodding. Shikamaru, on the other hand, was looking out the window, but I was just barely able to see a small smile on his mouth before it was covered by his hand.

"Hey," Ino clapped her hands together, "speaking of karaoke bars, why don't we head to one after lunch?"

"That sounds awesome," Choji grinned.

I picked off the last bits of my food and finished them. Standing up from my seat, I placed my chopsticks neatly on my plate before a few coins of Mon on the table. The team gave me strange looks.

"Well," I said, raising an eyebrow at them, "I figured I'd let you guys have your fun, and I'd head back to the house."

"You're not getting rid of us that easily, Mizuko!" Ino smirked. "The invitation was an all-around. You're coming, too."

"But-"

"You have no excuse," she told me. "It's not like you_ can't_ sing, Ms. Siren."

I breathed a ragged breath, "Are you guys sure you want me to join?"

"I don't see why not," Shikamaru finally voiced his opinion. "I doubt Asuma is going to sing."

In response, the older man barked a laugh.

"Yeah, and we've been dying to hear your voice," Choji smiled at me.

"Is everyone going to be like this?" I asked.

"Probably," Shikamaru answered.

"Geez," I sighed again. "Well, alright then. If it's okay with you guys."

"Is it okay?" Ino's blond brows knit together. "Of course it's okay!"

I couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm.

"Then it's settled," she grinned. "After lunch, we'll head home and change so we can have some _fun_!"

_At least they still know how to be teenagers,_ I thought to myself. _The life of a shinobi is tough, but that doesn't mean they can't have fun every once in awhile_.

* * *

I followed Shikamaru on the way back to the house from the restaurant. I was glad that he was starting to warm up to me more. It made me more comfortable around him. We walked side by side in silence, but it wasn't the awkward kind.

"So," I decided to try making conversation, "you can sing?"

He gave me a strange look, "I don't sing."

Now it was my turn to look at him strangely, "How can you _not_ sing?"

"Sorry," his eyebrows raised in an amused way, "I'm not all that into music like you are. I'm more into playing Shogi."

"Shogi?" I tilted my head. "That board game?"

"Mmhm," he nodded.

"Never played it," I shrugged.

"Not many people do. It's a game of strategy and analyzation, kind of like how a composer has to make sure each note goes together correctly, you have to make sure you make the right move."

"So, like a general preparing his army for war, right?" I laced my fingers together behind my back.

"Pretty much."

"You could have just said that in the first place," I quirked a brow, eying him with a side glance, as we turned the corner that looked like a tunnel made by curving trees with a dirt road leading to the Nara home. It was very pretty, and it was a shame that I hadn't really had the chance to notice it until now.

"Yeah, well," he scratched the back of his neck, "I normally play it with Asuma-sensei."

"Second father-figure?"

His eyes rested on me for a long moment, in a thoughtful way, before he nodded, "In a way. I guess you could say that."

"It must be nice." A bit of envy pricked my insides.

"Mizu-"

"Don't worry. I'm just saying that it's good to have a lot of people that care about you," I smiled to him. "And if you keep calling me 'Mizu', I'm going to think it's a nickname."

"If you stopped interrupting my sentences, then I would've been able to finish saying your name," his eyebrows furrowed for a moment. His face went back into that thoughtful expression before he looked at me, "Nickname?"

"Mmhm," I hummed, looking up at the canopy. The tunnel of trees were mostly shadows, but it had the afternoon light leaking through the leaves, especially when the wind blew its breeze. "I have a few nicknames other than my titles."

"Like what?"

I shrugged, tucking a strand of brunette behind my ear, "Kids use to call me Mimi-chan a lot. I spent a lot of time around them when I was visiting other areas."

"You like kids, huh?"

"Yeah. Adults and people my own age never liked me very much, but the little ones always kept an open heart. A few would actually sneak out of their homes to send me off when they hear about me leaving. It was sweet."

A smile crept onto his lips, but he kept silent.

"Shocking as it may seem," I eyed him, "but I_ did_ have a few good things happen during my way."

I smiled at the memory of the children back in the Sand Village. They were sweet little ones, making little drawings of a mermaid or fish for me when I left. They were always at awe when I'd demonstrate a water-style jutsu for them.

As we reached the front door, Shikamaru spoke, "You know..."

"Hm?" I looked over to him.

"I can..." he scratched the back of his neck in a kind of nervous way, "After the whole karaoke thing, I can show you how to play Shogi, if you want."

I raised an eyebrow to him.

_Is this a way of trying to get to know me?_ I questioned quietly._ It kind of seems odd of Shikamaru to be asking me this since he kind of seems like he wants nothing to really do with me half the time..._

My silence must have been getting to him, "Never mind. It was just a suggestion."

"No, no," I said quickly, batting my hand at him. "I'd love to try it. It sounds like fun."

He looked at me for a moment, seeming surprised by my reaction, but then he had this little half-smile on his face. It made him seem less intimidating, and it was kind of cute. Shikamaru never seemed to smile that often, so it was nice to see it.

"But on one condition," I held my index finger up.

The smile disappeared with a bit of worry growing in his eyes, "Hm?"

I smirked, "You go for a ride with me on Gaki."

His eyes got huge, "On the_ horse_?"

"Yep," I nodded. "Never been on a horse before, deerling?"

He gave me an _Are you really asking that?_ look, and it made me grin at him.

"Well," I told him. "You teach me how to play Shogi, and I'll teach you to ride a horse. Deal?"

He sighed heavily, just watching me for a moment before saying, "Sure."

I held my pinky finger to him, "Pinky promise it."

"You still do childish things like that?" he raised an eyebrow at me, that half-smile peaking out again.

I puffed my cheeks in a pouting way at him and narrow my eyes, pushing my pinky in his face.

He started at it before he sighed once more like he was thinking that I was being troublesome, wrapping his own pinky finger around mine. I felt the corners of my mouth pull into a smile.

"_Troublesome,_" I heard him mutter as I opened the door.

He was smiling, and I felt my face warm a little at it. I hoped it wasn't noticeable to him. He really _did_ look nice with a smile instead of that flat-lined mouth or his eyes looking so tired from stress.

"Hey, deerling?" I asked as he held the door open for me.

He looked at me with a questioning gaze, "Hm?"

"You're going to the karaoke with us, right?" I fiddled with the hem of my white tank, looking to the ground like it was something interesting. "I mean, I just wanted to know if you were coming with us or not."

_Why am I getting so nervous now?_ I wondered. _I mean, it's just Shikamaru that I'm talking to..._

"Yeah, I'm going." I looked up to find him smirking at me, "I mean, I _am_ your babysitter, am I not?"

"Smart ass," I narrowed my eyes at him for bringing back my earlier comment from today.

I walked passed him, going straight for his room. As I went up, I heard a familiar, "_Troublesome girl._"

* * *

**(A/N): Sorry for the long wait, but here it is! I know that it's been late, but I've been at my sister's for awhile, and I don't have her Wifi password for my computer. If I had it, then I would've posted a few chapters by now with how I wake up at the fluffin' _crack of dawn_ over there. I've been reading books, but I like books so I don't mind.**

**To _Izumi-Of-The-Shadows_: WELL, I AM_ SO_ SORRY. I've been busy, but you know what? Your review made me hop on the computer when I got home from camping and go straight into finishing up this chapter. 3 It's short, but it's here. YOU BETTER BE HAPPY ABOUT IT, OR I'LL BITE YOU.**

**I hope y'all like the next chapter. ~**


	19. Precious

His parents had decided to go out for awhile, so he was left sitting on the couch in the living room, watching the clock as he waited for the girl to finish getting ready upstairs. His knee was furiously bouncing as his impatience increase. She had been upstairs, her footsteps as loud as the horse's outside, for over a half hour now. He, on the other hand, had thrown on a solid gray shirt, an opened button-up dark green tee, and a pair of dark brown shorts.

"I swear," he grumbled, "if she doesn't come down here soon, I'm going to..."

"Going to what, deerling?"

The voice behind him made him flinch.

He turned himself slowly on the couch, a sweat drop forming on the side of his head. The moment his eyes met hers, he could see the amusement in those sapphires from behind a pair of thick black glasses. A smirk clear on her lips. Her hair was up in one of her unique buns at the base of her neck, which he would never understand how she would be able to get all that hair into such a small bun. She wore the same white tank as earlier, but she wore a medium gray hoody over it with the zipper open. She had switched her cargo shorts for a pair of regular mini-shorts with black leggings. She was wearing a pair of dark brown boots instead of her usual heels.

_Wow,_ he thought.

"Is this okay?" she asked him, obviously catching his eyes looking over the outfit. She seemed kind of nervous, though. "I can go change if-"

"No!" he said quickly, turning away from her to hide the redness in his cheeks. "It was about time that you finally got down here. I'm not letting you go back up there for another half hour to tour your wardrobe."

"Alright, listen here," her voice lost all sense over timidness, going back to its usual tone. "I don't take half as long as those other girls, and I had to wash my feet because I had been running around without my shoes most of the day!"

"And who's fault was that?" He turned and looked at her in the eye, catching her off guard by the surprised look she gave him. "Why were you running out of the house this morning?"

"I..." She looked a little upset, but she quickly recovered with an emotionless mask. "I had a small issue with myself this morning, but I took care of it. It was nothing to worry about."

This caught his attention, "What kind of issue?"

"None of your business!" she shot at him.

"It_ is_ my business," he eyed her suspiciously.

_It could be something that might bring danger to the village,_ he thought. _The look on her face clearly showed that she was upset about _something_. I don't like the idea of what that _something_ might have been. I have to find out now while I have the chance_.

She glared at him. It was one of those_ if looks could kill, then he'd be six feet under the ground by now_ looks. Her face scrunched a little, making her look like an angry cat about to hiss at him. He didn't like it, and, honestly, it scared him a little.

"I'm on my_ period_, Shikamaru!" she growled. "Are you_ happy_ now?"

His eyes went wide with realization, and he immediately regretted pressuring her into the conversation. He hung his head, staring at the ground since he no longer wanted to go into a staring war with her angry sapphires.

Since he was no longer willing to speak, she took the chance to, "If we're still going to karaoke, then let's go."

He noticed her shadow creep along the flooring towards him before her shoes came into his view. He watched her hand stretch out towards his, making his breath catch in his throat at the thought of her grabbing his hand again. He let the breath go when he saw her hand go passed his to grab a paper on the table behind him.

It was the application.

She turned around and walked away. He looked up to find her staring at him impatiently with her hand on the handle of the door. Her foot started to tap as she waited for him to follow.

"What a drag..." he sighed heavily, walking towards the irritated girl.

"Don't you give me that,_ Shikamaru_," she glared, flinging the door open and started walking through. "You're the one who wanted to know_ so_ badly, so now you know."

_It was questioning to make sure that the village was going to be safe,_ he wanted to say but didn't dare. He knew how violent a kunoichi could get when she was on her week. His mother was still in a chūnin rank, but she was deadly one hers. He knew Mizuko would flip out if she still thought that he didn't trust her even after he basically said he did.

He locked up the house and turned to follow her when he noticed that she was already a good ways ahead of him. He actually had to_ jog_ to catch up with her as she waiting at the end of the path that led from his house to one of the bustling streets of Konoha.

Of course, she wasn't going to let him get too close. She started walking again as soon as he was a few feet away, when he had slowed back down into a walk.

"Mizuko," he called to her.

She ignored him as people were passing by them.

"Mizuko!" he tried again, but he was ignored once more.

"_Ha!_"

He heard a voice behind him to find a man smirking with a bouquet of flowers in his hand. The man walked right up to Shikamaru, handing him a white tulip. If he remembered correctly from Ino's constant flower talking, it meant _forgiveness_. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he looked at the stranger.

"You need it more than I do, boy," the man laughed again before walking away.

_Did he think that..._

Shikamaru's cheeks blasted with heat before he shouted at the disappeared man, "It's not what you think!"

Shaking his head in an attempt to shake the warmth away, he ran off towards the karaoke place. It was no use trying to find Mizuko in the crowd of people, so he just hoped that she knew where she was going. If she wasn't at the place, then he'd have to go find her.

* * *

___I'm just lucky that he took that excuse instead of pressuring on about the real reason._ But... Ugh! I thought angrily._ How dare he? How_ dare_ he?! I mean, yes, I understand that he's all paranoid around me because I'm new to the village, but I have made no attempt in trying to harm it! Dugh! How embarrassing was that to blurt out? Thank Kami that his parents weren't there. I mean, I had gotten my monthly last night after that whole little incident with him sneaking around the house, but still! How rude!  
_

I was so much in my fuming thoughts that I almost hadn't heard someone call my name.

I turned around to see Choji and Ino flinch.

Choji was dressed up in a brown shirt and some dark gray-green pants that actually looked nice on him. It wasn't terribly skintight or overbearingly baggy. It fit him just right to make him look attractive.

Ino was in a pretty little black tutu-styled dress with black leggings that stopped just passed her knees. She had a purple mini-jacket that had white ruffles around the cuffs of the sleeves, which just covered her elbows, and around the collar. It was hoodless. Her hair was up in its usual high ponytail style that we shared, she had some purple barrettes clipped in. One was in the shape of a flower. Instead of sandals, she wore heels.

I sighed, forcing my expression to relax and smile to them so they knew that I wasn't going lash out at them because of my temper. I had been able to perfect my fake smiles so no one had any need to worry over me. It was one of those things where you wanted to be upset and start flipping furniture, but you absolutely did _not_ want someone to start asking the _Are you okay?_ questions.

"Hey, guys," I waved, walking over to them. "How's it going?"

"Um..." Ino seemed at a loss for words for a long moment. "Pretty good considering. How about you?"

"A little ticked off," I said honestly, waving my hand in a dismissive manner. "It's nothing to worry about though."

Choji looked at me with a concerned gaze, "Where's Shikamaru?"

I let my bangs fall over my eyes to hide the irritation at his name, "_Shikamaru_ will be meeting up with us once he fights his way through the hordes of people."

"Hey, Choji, would you mind go getting us a room?" Ino looked over to her teammate, handing him a small pouch. "I want to talk to Mizuko for a moment, okay?"

"Okay," he nodded, taking the pouch from her and a few bills from myself, before heading inside.

"Alright, what happened?" Ino put her hands on her hips. "What did he do?"

I crossed my arms in a pout, "He basically made me tell him that I was on my period because I was a little upset this morning."

I didn't really care if a few people heard us as they passed. They didn't know me, and they just might never see me again with how people go about their day. I had quieted my voice a little so the whole world didn't know, but I kept it loud enough for Ino to be able to hear me.

"That's _awful_!" she gasped.

"Mhm," I hummed, nodding.

"Alright," Choji returned from the building, holding a key with a room number attached to it, "I got the room for us."

"Sweet!" I fist pumped the air, grinning. "It's going to be one of those where we get our own rooms for it? Awesome."

Ino laughed at my change in attitude, and Choji just looked confused.

"Hey, I'm going to wait out here for Shikamaru," he told us, handing the key over to the blond. "Why don't you girls head on inside?"

"Okay," his teammate nodded. "Just don't wait too long, or we'll sing all the good songs without you!"

"And don't forget the_ food_," I grinned.

"Oh, man," he got a defeated expression. "Shikamaru, you better hurry up!"

Ino and I laughed as we left Choji to lookout duty and headed inside. It was the same _Karaoke Hiroba_ as I had seen when I was with Yoshino. A few new posters were put up, but other than that, it was the same as yesterday.

"Hey," a woman's voice spoke from behind the desk. "You're that girl from yesterday, aren't you? The one with the application?"

I looked up to meet with dark eyes. It was the same woman from yesterday with her feet propped up on the desk, flipping through a different magazine. A bubble of pink covered her mouth until she pulled it into her mouth and popped it.

"Yeah," I blinked in surprise that she remembered me. "I came over to turn in the form and sing with some friends."

"Cool."

She held her hand out to me expectantly. I quickly pulled out the paper, unfolded it, and smoothed it out until the crease lines were barely visible. I placed the paper in her palm.

She looked it over then to me, her eyes looking over my outfit.

"Something wrong?"

She smiled, "Nah. Hope you get the job. You seem like a capable girl to me."

"Um... Thank you," I did a small bow of gratitude to her.

"Well, if you guys need anything," she told Ino and I, "then just click the buzzer near the door. Someone will come down and take your orders."

"Got it," we said together.

Ino's hand grabbed my elbow, pulling me towards the hall, "C'mon! Let's go check out the room before the boys get in."

"Fine, fine," I laughed, following after the perky blond. "I love your outfit, though. It's adorable."

"Thanks," she grinned. "Yours is cute, too."

"It's simple compared to yours," I told her. It really was one of those throw on type of outfits to me, nothing that would say_ I'm trying to seduce you!_ or _Don't you dare look at me, or I'll rip your throat out_. It was just a nice little outfit for a gathering. "It's comfortable, though."

"You sounds like Shikamaru with all that comfortable stuff," the blond laughed at me. "When we were kids, he always complained about how _troublesome_ things were."

"And he doesn't know?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, yeah, he still does." She stopped in front of one of many doors from the hall and unlocked it with the key. "But when he was complaining, he would tells us every once in awhile, 'All I ever wanted if to grow up in a simple life with a simple wife, maybe a couple of kids, a boy and a girl. Nothing complicated about it.'" She attempted mimicking his voice with the quotations.

I sighed at her as I followed her into the room, "Hey, simplicity isn't my thing, but every once in awhile its nice to kick back and relax."

The room was large. Two of the four walls had a long couch in the shape of a right angle. There, of course, were posters of popular singers on the walls above it. An oval table stretched in front of the couch for people to put their drinks and food, or just the little things they were carrying. Attached to the wall adjacent to the doorway was a small stage that would've been able to fit at least two people on it to sing together with the equipment on it. It was pretty cool.

"Yeah, I guess." She got a bit of an irritated looked on her face, "Most of my free time goes to practicing my medical jutsu or working at the flower shop, though."

I laughed, "No wonder you smell like flowers all the time."

Her expression softened back to a grin, "Yeah, my parents own a flower shop, so I work there when I'm not on missions or training."

"You'll have to bring me over one day, I'd love to see it."

"Totally. It'll be nice to have someone that isn't asking which ones are edible or someone that's not telling me what a drag everything is."

I smiled, lacing my fingers behind my back, "In the end, Ino, you know that you'd protect them with your heart and soul. They're precious people to you."

"Yeah..." she smile to the ground at the thought of them. Her eyes soon met mine, "You have someone precious to you, too, right, Mizuko?"

"I do." I told her, holding her gaze, "The most precious person in the world to me."

* * *

**(A/N): Ha! Shikamaru got in trouble~ I _so_ didn't do it... Okay, yeah, _technically_ I did. But still. His fault, not mine. It's still mine, but it's not... If that makes any bit of sense... It's better if it doesn't.  
**

**I know that I'm doing a lot of chapters on this one day, but it's actually turning out better than I thought it would be. There many be, like, one or two more before we get to the next day. I can't wait to write Mizuko's reaction to her going on a mission. That'll be so much fun! I also have to get back on track with my RBC story (Kiba X OC fanfic - Miyu Nekoshima) and work on my _Angel With A Crossbow_ story (A Daryl Dixon X OC fanfic - Cat Cheshire).**

**To _evewolf123_: NOW WHERE'S MY SUBWAY? I want my Chicken, Bacon, Ranch Melt :c It's yummy...**

**To _Izumi-Of-The-Shadow_: I know, right? I hate when people write like that. I even go back to my older chapters and re-read them once in awhile to check on my spelling and grammar. I get so ticked off when I realized that I messed some stuff up x'D! _WHOOPS._**

**To _Kukasabe Swift:_ I NEED NO_ INTERVENTION_. My insanity is what brings out the best of my creativity3 So, if I wasn't a little insane, then I wouldn't be able to write such good stories, right? _Right?_ EXCATLY.**


	20. Girls' Voices

Bent over with his hands on his knees and panting for air to reach his breathless lungs, Shikamaru finally made it through the endless crowds of people and to the karaoke building. The girls had already gone inside already, but Choji had waited patiently outside for him.

"Shikamaru," Choji grinned, patting him on the back gently, "the girls look amazing tonight. Is that flower for one of them?"

"Ugh..." he gasped another mouthful of air in an attempt to calm his breathing before standing up straight. "That girl left me in the middle of a busy street then some guy came over to me, assuming we got into some kind of lover's quarrel and gave me this stupid tulip to give to that... that... ugh!."

"Really?" he tilted his slightly. "Well, she_ did_ show up before you, and she seemed a little angry when she came over here. What happened?"

"Well..." he averted his gaze and rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. His face flushed with embarrassment as he remembered the scene that had occurred just a little while ago.

"Shikamaru?" his friend's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What happened?"

"Well," he repeated before continuing on with the story, "she was upset this morning, and I kind of got a little suspicious as to why. So, I pressed her into telling me what was going on and... it wasn't good."

"What happened?" Choji repeated his own question, eyes widening with worry. He knew his friend was thinking through all the possibilities that could have been going on, especially since he knew that Shikamaru still thought she might be dangerous to the village. "What did she say?"

Shikamaru sighed heavily, feeling the embarrassment blush burn his cheeks as he muttered the words into Choji's ear, "_She's on her..._"

"No way!" his eyes went wide enough to be nearly bulging out of his head. "You actually made her say that?! Poor Mizuko..."

"I didn't think that was going to be the result!" Shikamaru defended quickly.

"I knew I heard voices out here!"

The boys turned to find a woman walking out of the karaoke building quickly, heading straight towards them. She didn't seem happy with how her dark eyes were watching them. She crossed her arms when she came to a halt in front of them. There was a rolled up magazine in her grip.

"You, Choji," she said. "You're the one who asked for the key, so I'm guessing that you're with the blond." Her eyes went from Choji to Shikamaru, "Meaning that you're with that brunette, the one applying for a job here." Dark eyes narrowed, going back and forth between them. "Those two girls have been sitting in that room waiting for you two for twenty minutes now, so I suggest that you get your butts moving! If you don't hurry up and get in there, then I'll kick you out myself! If this is how you treat your ladies, then I say_ good riddens_ to you!" She held the magazine for emphasis.

Their faces blew up into a cherry-red color as they tried to defend themselves, "But we're not-!"

"I don't care!" the woman shouted at them. "Move it or lose it!"

The boys bolted inside the building, fearing the wrath of the strange woman.

"Good," she smirked before heading back inside to her desk.

* * *

"Alright, Ino," I grinned, "it's your pick."

"Sweet!" the blond cheered. "I'll try to find a good one for you, Mizuko."

I laughed as I headed for the stage. I took hold of the microphone on it's stand, watching Ino flip through a little booklet that held all kinds of different songs. For the past ten minutes, we had been playing Rock-Paper-Scissors to see who would sing first, but we ended mostly in ties. It was on the fourteenth round that Ino had finally won, but the agreement was that the loser would sing and the winner would pick the song. We waited for another ten minutes, ordering some sodas, as we waited for the boys to come in.

They hadn't, so we decided to start without them.

"Okay, I got-" Ino was cut off by a knock at the door.

"Hello, ladies," the woman at the desk smiled to us. "I figured that I'd drop these off before going on break."

Ino and I looked at each other before the desk woman walked away, revealing that a sheepish-looking Choji and Shikamaru had been standing behind her. I shook my head at them while the blond scolded them for tardiness and how they would end up being like someone named Kakashi if they kept it up.

I watched as Shikamaru held up a crushed white flower to his blond teammate, and something twisted inside me.

"Oh, Shikamaru!" Ino's face automatically lit up like fireworks on a clear night sky. I had to look away as she hugged him, saying, "Thank you!"

"Mizuko?" I flinched when I realized that Choji was standing at the foot of the stage, looking up at me. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," I plastered a quick smile.

_What is wrong with you?_ I asked myself internally._ You can't be getting jealous over him giving Ino a flower. There's no reason for it._

_Oh, but he had upset you earlier with the questioning,_ the jealous side shot back. _He makes you upset about something as personal as that, and you don't even get an apology._

_I didn't want to hear it!_ My reasonable self defended quickly.

The jealous side ignored it and continued,_ But if Ino gets upset about tardiness, she gets a flower? Isn't that rude and unforgiving? Especially since he gave it to her right in front of you! How dare he?_

"_Mizuko!_" Ino bounced in front of me. "Helloooo? You alive in there?"

"Hm?" I blinked my thoughts away quickly, looking down at the blond's happy blue eyes. "What's up?"

"I found the perfect first song for you to sing," she grinned, tucking the crushed flower behind her ear with a loose strand of hair. "I'll play it, okay?"

"Okay."

With that, she headed over to the little music player. I watched as she played with the machine a little until she found her selected song. She clicked it.

I looked to the screen to see the words already appearing before the music. The song title was at the very top of the screen, and I sighed at it. I looked over to the blond with a raised eyebrow, "_This_ one?"

She nodded vigorously.

"Fine," I told her.

I breathed deeply, flipping my hood over my head, as the music played. I gripped the microphone tightly in my right hand and held the stand in my left.

"_Pull my heart out of my chest,_  
_ Train my mind so I forget,_  
_ Sink your teeth into my bones,_  
_ Dig me out then fill the hole._"

I let my voice grow a bit louder with the next part, becoming a little more passionate with the bit. I knew the song, so I let my memory of it lead me through.

"_Tear me apart,_  
_ Tear me apart and watch it burn._  
_ Tear me apart,_  
_ Tear me apart and watch it burn._"

The music picked up in its speed a moment before the words appeared on the screen again. I ignored them and sang on my own.

"All that's left is a window to my soul.  
Falling faster, you made my heart your home."

I let the beat take control of my body as that music boomed.

"_Come and get it one more time (whoa),_  
_ If you wanna lose your mind (whoa oh)_,  
_ Come and get it one more time (whoa),_  
_ If you wanna lose your mind (whoa oh)_,  
_ Come and get it!_"

The bass struck, turning the beat into a hardcore dance. The room went dark, but was quickly lit with colorful strobe lights, like something a club would have. I smirked as Ino jumped up from her spot on the couch to dance to it. Her teammates stared at her oddly. She was cheering like she was at an actual concert for some pop star.

I banged my head to the music, letting my eyes fall on Choji. He was staring adoringly at the blond, a blush clear on his cheeks as he watched her dance about to the beat. He looked like he wanted to get up and join her but was too afraid of rejection. The poor boy.

I glanced over to Shikamaru, and he must have immediately felt my gaze since he turned his head to look at me. I quickly averted my gaze. I didn't want to make a big scene over some stupid feeling of jealousy that I shouldn't have even been feeling in the first place.

I was thankful when I noticed the next lines appeared on the screen.

"_If you wanna lose your mind (whoa oh),_  
_ Come and get it!_"

The bass went haywire again for a few moment, so I just whipped my head from side to side. My hips shook and my feet stamped with the beat.

"If you wanna lose your mind (whoa oh),  
Come and get it!"

I couldn't stop the grin on my face as I moved with the dance music. It was exhilarating.

Soon enough, Choji was headbanging with his long, brown hair flying. A toothy grin was clear on his face to show that he was having a good time. Ino was still dancing to the beat. Shikamaru looked like he wanted nothing more than to slam his head against the table.

Anyone could have mistaken us as drunk teenagers.

Even though we were sober.

"_Come and get it one more time (whoa),_  
_If you wanna lose your mind (whoa oh),_  
_Come and get it one more time (whoa)_,  
_If you wanna lose your mind (whoa oh)_,  
_Come and get it._"

The music went as crazy as it did the first time I had said the stanza. I noticed that Ino was singing along to the song as she dance about. She was obviously enjoying herself. It was highly amusing to watch her and Choji being so hyped up.

I, myself, was dancing to the beat, twirling around on stage as the colorful lights flashed around.

"_If you wanna lose your mind (whoa oh),_  
_ Come and get it._  
_ Come and get it..."_

I repeated the last line a few more times, letting my voice fade with each time I echoed the lyrics. I forced my adrenaline-tinted voice to calm down a little for the next stanzas.

"_Mouth to mouth, I breathe you in,_  
_ Swallow down your jagged sin._  
_ Let it drown inside my veins,_  
_ The sweetest poison I could take._

_You make it an art,_  
_ The way that you scar with every word._  
_ But before we reach the end,_  
_ Strip me down again._"

I dragged out the last words in the lines of the second stanza. The beat picked up again, and I sang out.

"_Come and get it one more time (whoa)_,  
_ If you wanna lose your mind (whoa oh)_,  
_ Come and get it one more time (whoa),_  
_ If you wanna lose your mind (whoa oh)_,  
_ Come and get it."_

My voice echoes, repeating the _get it_ part and having it fade as the music accelerated. After a moment of it picking up, almost like it was counting, waiting for my next words. I smirked.

"_Come and get it._"

It went loose for a few moments.

"_If you wanna lose your mind (whoa oh),_  
_ Come and get it._"

The beat continued onto its rampage before it instantly quieted down into a piano-style.

"_If you wanna lose your mind (whoa oh),_  
_ Come and get it one more time (whoa),_  
_ If you wanna lose your mind (whoa oh),_  
_ Come and get it one more time (whoa),_  
_ If you wanna lose your mind (whoa),_  
_ Come and get it..._"

I let my voice echoed the last line once more for a final time as the piano played its final keys. I stepped back from the mic, pulling my hood back, and wiping the sweat from my forehead. It was a nice adrenaline rush.

"Sweet singing, Mizuko!" Choji grinned, giving me a thumbs up that I gratefully mimicked back to him with a wink.

"Thanks, Cho-"

"Kyaaaah!" Ino's squeal cut me off, as jumped onto the stage and launched herself into my arms for a hug. "That was _amazing_, Mizuko! I mean, I heard you could sing, but I didn't think you could _sing_!"

I furrowed my brows at her in playful confusion, "You knew I could sing, but you didn't know I could sing? How does that make any bit of sense?"

"I meant that I didn't know you could sing like _that_!" she rolled her eyes playfully at me but was still grinning. "If these people don't hire you, then they're going to be missing out!"

It was my turn to roll my eyes at her.

* * *

"Okay, my turn!" Ino was still grinning like she was still on her adrenaline kick from the dance song she had me sing. "You better pick a good one!"

I widened my eyes at how hyped up she was that I honestly considered whether or not she might have taken a drug before coming here or if she might have been sniffing one too many daisies, "Okay, Ino. Just calm down, jeez."

I plopped down on the couch where Ino had sat for the first portion of our little... whatever you wanted to call it. A gathering, I guessed. I tried not to huff at the fact that I had to sit next to the Nara boy because I stole her seat. I felt his eyes on me, but I didn't dare look at him. Silently, I flipped through the booklet, scanning through each song that it offered until I found on that suited the blond girl.

I smirked as I put it into the machine.

Ino's bright blue eyes went wide when she saw which song I had chosen, but then she smiled. She took her hair down from its ponytail, letting it fall to her lower back. I quirked an eyebrow as she looked to her masculine teammates with lowered lashes.

A flute played for the beginning of the song, instantly making me think back to Tayuya. An image over her playing her flute for my birthday because she knew that I loved flute music. It was a happy little gathering with Sakon grinning at me and Ukon frowning like always. Jirōbō trying to inhale the cake while Kidōmaru teased me with a gift wrapped in spiderwebs.

My mind didn't get very far with the memory because Ino soon started singing.

"_He is a hustler, he's no good at all._  
_ He is a loser, he's a bum, bum, bum, bum._  
_ He lies, he bluffs, he's unreliable._  
_ He is a sucker with a gun, gun, gun, gun._  
_ I know you told me I should stay away._  
_ I know you said he's just a dog astray._  
_ He is a bad boy with a tainted heart,_  
_ And even I know this ain't smart._"

I clapped to the beat of the music before it pounded quickly three times for her to sing the next stanza, letting her movements fall into beat with the music.

"_But, Mama, I'm in love with a criminal,_  
_ And this type of love isn't rational, it's physical._  
_ Mama, please don't cry, I will be alright._  
_ All reason aside, I just can't deny, love the guy._"

The flutist played their solo again after she sang the chorus. She tried to play as a sexy kunoichi while looking pitiful as though she actually had gotten in trouble with her mother, but I could see the bit of worry in her eyes. I gave her a nod of encouragement, which she smiled at.

I glanced at the two boys to see Choji completely engrossed by her, which made me smirk at him. He must have it bad for her, but it didn't seem like he had enough courage to tell her about it. He was such a sweet guy.

My gaze went back to Shikamaru, who was leaning back against the couch with his arms folded behind his head. His legs stretched out under the table. I looked up to his face to find...

He was asleep.

An irritated vein popped out on the side of my head as I elbowed him in the stomach.

He looked at me with wide eyes, "Why did you do that?!"

"No sleeping while Ino's singing," I smiled innocently.

He sighed irritably.

I sang along with the blond at the next stanza of the song, which she was grinning at.

"_He is a villain by the devil's law.  
He is a killer just for fun, fun, fun, fun.  
That man's a snitch and unpredictable.  
He's got no conscience, he got none, none, none, none.  
Oh-ooooo I know-ooooo, should've let go, but no,  
'Cause he is a bad boy with a tainted heart,  
And even I know this ain't smart._"

I winked at her as I stood up to danced to her singing There was no way that I was going to let her feel bad about singing. She had a nice voice, so I was going to keep encouraging her. I just couldn't wait for the boys' to sing, though. That was going to be fun.

"_But, Mama, I'm in love with a criminal,_  
_ And this type of love isn't rational, it's physical._  
_ Mama, please don't cry, I will be alright._  
_ All reason aside, I just can't deny, love the guy._"

She seemed to have let herself grow a little more passionate with her voice during that stanza, becoming braver with the lyrics. Even though it had been her idea to do karaoke, it was obvious that she had been a little nervous about it.

"___And he's got my name,  
Tat-tooed on his arm.  
His lucky charm.  
So, I guess it's okay,  
He's with me.  
And I hear people talk (people talk).  
Try to make remarks.  
Keep us apart.  
But I don't even hear,  
I don't care_,"

The flutist played their solo again.

I smiled as the blond's face expressed that she was fully into the music after that verse. It didn't even matter that it was almost over now. Her eyes were shut, and she was dancing around, basically acting as though she was the only on in the room.

"_'Cause, Mama, I'm in love with a criminal,_  
_ And this type of love isn't rational, it's physical._  
_ Mama, please don't cry, I will be alright._  
_ All reason aside, I just can't deny, love the guy._"

"Go, Ino!" I cheered, jumping up and down, even though I doubted that she heard me in her own little world. "Last verse, hit it!"

"C'mon, Ino!" I heard Choji join in, fist pumping the air for his feminine teammate. "You're doing great!"

"_(Oh-ooooo I know-ooooo)_,  
_ Mama, I'm in love with a criminal_.  
_ (Should've let go)_.  
_ And this type of love isn't rational,_  
_ (But no)_.  
_ It's physical_.  
_ (Oh-ooooo I know-ooooo)_.  
_ Mama, please don't cry, I will be alright_.  
_ (Should've let go)_.  
_ All reason aside_,  
_ (But no)_.  
_ I just can't deny, love the guy._"

"So," she grinned, blue eyes shining down at us, "how did I do?"

"Awesome!" Choji and I said together. We looked at each other and laughed, which Ino joined in to.

Clapping next to me, I heard Shikamaru say, "Nice job, Ino. It was really great."

She grinned happily, "Thanks, Shikamaru!"

I puffed my cheeks out in a pout since he didn't bother reviewing my own singing after I had finished.

* * *

**(A/N): Okay, so, yeah. Mizuko's a little peeved that Shikamaru decided to give Ino the tulip, but can you really blame her in the end? Think about it. It was a good thing that Ino had decided to choose an upbeat song so she can take out a little aggression through her singing. I love how Choji headbangs. x'D!**

**_Come and Get It_ by Krewella: watch?v=h9aGRTffGP8**

**_Criminal_ by Britney Spears: watch?v=GVIv4rULrys**


	21. Bad Feelings

"I say that the girls should pick what the boys sing for their first song since they were late," Ino smirked, her arms crossed.

"Say _what_?" the boys and I asked, staring at the blond with wide eyes.

"Yeah," she nudged me with a wink. "It's totally fair since they kept us waiting, right, Mizuko?"

"Um..." I furrowed my brows in confusion, "I—"

"No way," Shikamaru interrupted. "You were waiting because _she_"—he glared at me—"left me in a crowd of people."

I shot the glare right back at him, "Only because you were a _jerk_!"

Lightning zapped between us as we glared at each other.

"Great going, Ino," Choji sighed. "Now you really got them going."

"Hey, you two!" she stepped between us, keeping her back pressed against me to back me away. "C'mon. It's suppose to be fun, not fighting!"

I sneered, "You're right, Ino. I say that we _should_ pick the songs for the boys. I got a _good_ one for Shikamaru here."

"Oh, now I'm scared," the blond went back over to her other teammate, staring at me with a wide pair of blue eyes.

"You and me both," agreed Choji.

"I'm not singing anything you pick out," Shikamaru folded his arms in front of him in a stubborn way.

I crossed my own arms, "Oh, yes. Yes, you are, deer boy."

"Alright," Ino interrupted our argument again. Her hands were haughtily on her hips, lips pursed with an attitude, a glare going back and forth between the two of us. "Mizuko, you're picking for Shikamaru and I'll pick for Choji. Shikamaru, deal with it."

The two of us crossed our arms; I was smirking, him frowning. He kept himself silent, obviously realizing that he had been outnumbered by both females in the room. Choji was a nice guy, so he'd let us do what we want.

Stubbornly, Shikamaru sat back on the couch as his other teammate spoke, "Okay, I don't mind that, but who's going to go first?"

Ino blinked, "Um..."

"Hold on, I've got a coin," I told them, digging a hand into the back pocket of my shorts. I pulled out a flat, metallic circle and flipped it into the air, "Your call, Choji."

"Um..."

I snatched the coin from the air and slapped it onto the back of my free hand. I kept it covered and looked over to the larger boy, who looked similar to a frightened rabbit with the fact that I had chosen him to make a decision. I quirked an eyebrow, waiting patiently as I watched him from over my glasses with my head tilted down slightly towards my hands overlapping in front of me.

"Tail?" he smiled nervously.

I took a peek and smirked.

The other three teenagers took note of it, their eyes growing wide. Ino and Choji were looking at each other curiously, and their third teammate hung his head with a heavy sigh. Obviously they figured that it Shikamaru that had been fated to sing.

It wasn't.

"You're up, Choji," I grinned.

"Aw, man," he whined as the blond jumped up and fist pumped the air.

She headed straight for the booklet with the endless song listings. I sat myself down next to the boy that stared at me like I had grown two heads; I couldn't tell whether he was amazed that I sat next to him or what his problem was. Of course, I being the curious girl that I was wanted to know.

Acting uninterested, I glanced at him from the corner of my eye, "Yeah?"

"Nothing," he replied, averting his gaze to watch Choji head towards the stage.

I bit my tongue to keep myself from asking what he was going to say and shrugged. I wanted to know, but I wasn't going to beg for it. I tilted my head up, resting it against the back of the couch, to look at the ceiling. There were a bunch of different sizes for the lights with different colored bulbs in each one. _So, that's how the light show happened, huh?_

"Perfect!" Ino squealed. She ran over to the machine and changed the music so her selected song's lyrics would show on the screen near Choji. "Good luck!"

I lifted my head as the sound of a piano filled the room. Choji looked nervous, so I flashed him a smile like I did with Ino and it did trick to calm him at least a little since he smiled back. He gave me a nod.

"_You shout it out,_  
_ But I can't hear a word you say._  
_ I'm talking loud, not saying much._"

He paused for a minute, closing his eyes and taking a quick breath to relax some of his nerves. The song was instantly registered in my mind. I was actually shocked, staring owlishly at him, with how well he sang. It was soft with the piano in the background, and it actually made a light warmth reach my cheeks as I leaned forward to listen more closely. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Ino doing the same, her agape as she stared at her teammate like it was the first time.

"_I'm criticized but all your bullets ricochet._  
_You shoot me down, but I get up._"

I blinked back as I saw Ino stand to her feet, producing a second mic that I hadn't seen earlier. She smiled, holding it up to her lips. How she recovered so quickly, I will probably never know. _I_ was still in shock.

"_I'm bulletproof, nothing to lose._  
_ Fire away, fire away._"

Choji's eyes snapped open when he heard the second voice and they instantly fell on the blond. Ino just kept smiling as she hopped up on stage with him, keeping the microphone in front of her. She nudged him with her elbow and they kept singing. He grinned at her.

Oh, how I loved duets! They've always been so romantic.

_"Ricochet, you take your aim,_  
_ Fire away, fire away_  
_ You shoot me down but I won't fall;_  
_ I am titanium._  
_ You shoot me down but I won't fall;_  
_ I am titanium._"

They paused for a moment, listening to the piano play its part before Choji sang on the next part on his own. The blond let the mic fall to her side like how her arms would normally, closing her eyes and nodding her head as she listened.

"_Cut me down,_  
_ But it's you who'll have further to fall._  
_ Ghost town and haunted love._  
_ Raise your voice, sticks and stones may break my bones._  
_ I'm talking loud, not saying much._"

Ino raised the mic again, singing with her teammate to the chorus. I smiled as I watched the two sing together. It was beautiful with the soft lighting, giving the room a warm glow with the music.

"_I'm bulletproof, nothing to lose._  
_ Fire away, fire away._  
_ Ricochet, you take your aim,_  
_ Fire away, fire away._  
_ You shoot me down, but I won't fall;_  
_ I am titanium._  
_ You shoot me down, but I won't fall;_  
_ I am titanium._"

They paused, smiling, for the piano before continuing together.

"_I am titanium._"

Another pause.

"_I am titanium._"

Choji sang on his own once more. The smile on his face was one of the brightest I've seen on him that it had turned contagious, causing me to smile a little wider with how happy he seemed.

"_Stone-hard, machine gun,_  
_ Firing at the ones who run._  
_ Stone-hard as bulletproof glass._"

They sang together for the final part, which happened to be the chorus.

"_I'm bulletproof, nothing to lose._  
_ Fire away, fire away._  
_ Ricochet, you take your aim,_  
_ Fire away, fire away._  
_ You shoot me down but I won't fall;_  
_ I am titanium._  
_ You shoot me down but I won't fall;_  
_ I am titanium._"

There was that short pause again.

"_I am titanium._"

Another.

"_I am titanium._"

They both took a bow to show that they had finished the song. I sprang from my seat, applauding them with how well they had done the show. There was even slower clapping from behind me to prove that Shikamaru liked it, too. Ino and Choji were grinning at us, a light blush gathered in their cheeks from their embarrassment.

"I had no idea you could sing like that, Choji!" I grinned as they stepped off the stage. Choji got down first so he could help the blond down. "It was beautiful."

"You think so?" Ino smiled. "I thought it would be a nice touch."

"I enjoyed it," he added with a slightly dreamy look in his eyes, which made me laugh a bit.

"So, Mizuko," the blond's eyes had a glint of something that didn't seem too good in her eyes and her smile scared me now, too, "you know what that means, right?"

I sweat dropped her with a nervous smile, not having a clue, "No, and I have a feeling that I don't want to either..."

"Well," she said, keeping that glint in her eyes as her tone turned into a singsong one, "I sang with Choji, so guess what you have to do."

My eyes went wide as I stared at her, "Oh, no..."

She planned this!

"Oh, yes!" She squealed yet again. "You have to sing with Shikamaru!"

"_What?!_" the voice behind me spoke for the first time, and it did _not_ seem happy. "There is no way—"

_Knock, knock_.

"Hm?" I turned my head towards the door and went over, "I wonder who that could be..."

"Hopefully, they have some food," I heard Choji complain. Ino said something that I ignored in that scolding tone of hers.

I opened the door to reveal Asuma standing there with his hands in his pockets and a grin on his lips, minus the cigarette for once. He looked down at me, which oddly made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, and nodded, "Just the girl I was looking for."

"Eh? You needed me, sensei?" I blinked at him, tilting my head. I _really_ wasn't liking the sudden vibe I was getting from him. There was just something about him that didn't seem like _Asuma_.

"Asuma-sensei?" his students called out in their own confusion.

I felt Shikamaru's presence come up behind me, followed closely by the other two, and ask, "What are you doing here? Did something happen?"

He raised an eyebrow but then laughed like his student had said something funny, but the laugh was a little weird, too. It just felt wrong. "No, no. I just wanted to see if I could steal Mizuko for awhile."

"_Oh, well, go ahead,_" I heard Shikamaru mutter as he stepped back. I shot him a glare, knowing that it was his excuse to get out of singing, so he knew that I heard him. He shrugged, smirking.

"May I ask what for, sensei?" I looked at him.

He scratched the back of his head, keeping that strange smile on his lips, "I just wanted to talk to you for awhile."

"Um, okay..." I was still confused. Reluctantly, I turned my back to him to the others to find Ino looking through the booklet again with Choji and Shikamaru lazing on the couch like he had nothing better to do. I tried to beg them with my eyes that I didn't want to go before asking, "You guys mind if I head out?"

"Go ahead," the female of the trio called, waving her hand at me. "We'll make it up another time. If Asuma-sensei needs to speak with you, then you're good."

I shrugged causally, like there _wasn't_ a bad feeling coursing through my body, as I turned back to the older man, "I guess I'm free to go then."

"Alright, let's go," he started down the hall with a strangely fast pace.

Despite the alarm bells in my head, I followed him out of the room.

But not without pulling out a small knife that I had tucked into my hair before I left the house and slipping it up my sleeve. I learned from my experience when Kiba appeared in my new hiding spot, and though he wasn't an enemy, I wasn't going to be as stupid as I was last time. Even if I was emotional then.

* * *

_Huh,_ Shikamaru thought to himself as he watched the brunette close the door, her and his teacher's footsteps fading away, _that was weird. I wonder what Asuma could have wanted with her_..._ He seemed a little off, too._ _Oh, well._ He lay on the couch, folding his arms behind his head as his teammates fussed with which song to play next. _As long as it gets me out of singing, then I'm good, I guess. It's not like _Asuma _of all people is_ _going to hurt her_.

As he watched Ino hop up on the stage, adjusting the microphone for herself, he felts a strange nagging feeling in the back of his mind. There was just something in Mizuko's face that ate at him before she left. He couldn't quite put his finger on what it could have been. Maybe she was just nervous to have been left alone with Asuma since she was still technically new to the village?

No, she had easily attached herself to the teacher along with his teammates.

There was just something strange about it...

He shrugged the thought away, deciding to ignore it, as Ino fist pumped the air and called for attention, "Too bad that Mizuko had to leave, but I'm taking her turn!"

Shikamaru didn't bother moving off the couch since he had already known that she was going to sing solo. Choji just sat on the side of the couch that he hadn't taken up.

For about another hour, his two teammates went back and forth between singing songs before they decided to go home. Mizuko hadn't returned then, so he figured that his teacher was still speaking with her or had taken her home himself.

* * *

**(A/N): Oooooo... **

**_Titanium_ by David Guetta (Sung by Ashe):  watch?v=HHdyED6vx4M**


	22. Lies

As he walked home alone (Choji walked Ino back to her family's flower shop), hands shoved in his pockets and his back hunched slightly, he kept thinking about how strange it was for Asuma to have appeared during their evening out. It was still afternoon, around five. He was sure that their sensei had heard Ino say that they were going to the karaoke building, and he had made no comment earlier about needing to speak with Mizuko.

He thought for awhile, remembering bits and pieces that made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. He hadn't had his cigarette, but that could have been easily due to the building being non-smoking and that he was trying to quit. His smile didn't have it's usual fatherly warmth, and he barely looked at anyone other than Mizuko, who also seemed a little nervous of going. His eyes had been transfixed on her, like she was the only one there...

"Shikamaru," a familiar voice behind him caused him to flinch out of surprise, "are you heading home already?"

He whirled around to find none other than his teacher standing here with his own hands in his pockets, leaning back instead of hunched like the student. The cigarette clearly hung on his lip, smoke drifting into the air. He always hated the smell of it and how the smoke would normally get in his eyes. One main thing he did notice, though, was that there was no pouting Mizuko near him.

Shikamaru's eyebrows furrowed, waving the smoke away from his face, "Did you already walk Mizuko back to the house?"

Asuma mimicked his expression with confusion, "What are you talking about? I haven't seen her since lunch."

"_What?!_" his eyes went wide with realization and irritation. _How could I have been such an idiot?!_ "Have you possibly seen her anywhere?"

The older man simply shook his head, concern clear in his eyes, "Shikamaru, what happened?"

He told his teacher about the person that had came to their karaoke room, requesting for the girl disguised as Asuma. They hurriedly went to the Yamanaka's flower shop so they could hopefully catch his two other teammates and inform them. Shikamaru's nerves were starting to go haywire from concern and frustration. Whether it was for her safety or the possibility of betrayal, he didn't know.

In the far back of his mind, he felt against trusting her completely. Something was just holding him back from it.

* * *

I silently followed Asuma when he led me away from the building and towards the Heads of the Hokages. It was easy to tell that not many people came around the great monument, especially at night, since they were the only two there. He hopped from the staircase near the First Hokage's head to his neatly carved ear. I easily caught up with him as he disappeared into the stone ear canal.

I was slightly surprised to find an old wooden door where a human's eardrum normally would have been. Asuma opened it and held it for me to enter, which I did. I noted that during the entire time they had been walking, he hadn't had a single cigarette. My mind was still calling alarm bells, though, I already understood why.

This man wasn't Asuma Sarutobi.

Sunlight shined into the rather large cave of the First's head through the holes made as his pupils. The stranger still held his ground as Asuma, but I noticed the cold gleam in his eyes as he stared at me. It was somewhat familiar in a way, but I couldn't put my finger on where I had seen it before. The smile had no warmth their, causing me clutch the handle of my small knife tightly. My entire body tensed as I glared at him.

"It seems like you're getting rather comfortable here, Mizuko," his hands went behind his back as his body was suddenly covered with smoke. I jumped back a few feet and took a fighting stance, holding my knife against my inner forearm. The voice changed, sending chills of recognition and displeasure over my skin, as he spoke again, "Don't tell me you're already growing soft on a couple of days... That wouldn't be too good for your mission."

"I'm not growing soft," I growled in disgust, glaring into a pair of onyx eyes behind their glass frames, "_Kabuto_."

His glasses shined against the lighting, coating his dark eyes for a millisecond, as the smoke cleared away. I could only see his irritating face and his grey bangs from under the black hood of the cloak he had on. It wasn't the first time I had seen him like this, and it positively wasn't the last until I would finally get away from the clutches of that Snake Lord. Kabuto always greeted me in the black robe when I was on a mission, so it was easy to tell that it was him even if he hadn't spoken with that unmistakable voice.

"Good," he equally glared back. It was one of those _if looks could kill, then I'd be six feet underground by now_ glares. "Lord Orochimaru was beginning to grow worried since he hasn't heard from you yet."

"It's only been three days," I scowled at him.

A smirk formed on his lips, "Normally, you only take a day with gathering your information."

"_Normally,_" I shot back quickly and defensively, "he doesn't have me move into the town."

"This was a very... special case," he replied smoothly.

I wanted to rip my hair out in frustration, "You're such an enigma!"

"I don't understand why you're dallying around when you already know what's at stake if you were to choose to betray the Lord," he watched me carefully, smiling when I instantly stiffened.

I avoided meeting his eyes, my chest tightening at the flash of Aiji in my head. I took a small breath, looking at him with an emotionless mask, "Haven't you ever heard of keeping your enemies closer than your allies? If I have these people trust me enough, they'll tell me everything I need to know. I also have to be careful with how I do things around here since they have me staying in an analytical ninja's home. I'll complete my mission, but I need_ time_, Kabuto."

He frowned deeply at the information I had given, "Try to hurry up then. Lord Orochimaru would prefer to have you return back to the hideout soon. The Akatsuki have been going around collecting jinchūrikis, so it's obvious that they're planning for their _world recovery_ idea." He spoke of them like he had a bad taste on his tongue.

"I understand," I nodded, refusing to allow him to see the hatred and denial I wanted to claim for being part of Orochimaru's plots. I had always kept my voice silent as I went around being his personal assassin, despite the want to be freed. I felt even worse about the situation with Aiji being dragged into it. The tightening in my chest continued to grow as I asked, "How is he?"

"Your little pet, you mean?" Kabuto asked as thought he were trying to correct me, turning towards the doorway once more. My blood boiled as I went to scold him only to be cut off before the words left my mouth, "I'm taking _very_ good care of him, though, Sasuke seems to want to keep the boy around him lately. Looks like the Uchiha is trying to steal your student, or maybe even be thinking of using him as a test dummy."

He started muttering to himself despite that I could still hear him, "_Actually,_ making the boy a test subject might help with the new experiment..."

"Don't you _dare_ touch him, you bastard!" I threw the knife at him, which he easily dodged without bothering to look, as my face twisted with pure anger and hatred.

"I suggest get what we need and hurry back," he told me. By his arm movements, I figured that he was adjusting his glasses like he normally did when he was becoming impatient.

With that, he disappeared.

Once he was gone, I released the breath I hadn't realized I was holding. I was still seething, but my heart lessened its tight grip at hearing that Sasuke had been doing exactly what I had asked of him, or at least that's what I figured. My shoulders sagged, the tension slowly releasing in my stressed muscles.

I glanced around the cave of the First Hokage's head, "I'm sorry, Great Hokages of the Leaf, but I know that you all have had precious ones to protect. Aiji just happens to be mine."

I went to the doorway and exited the monument.

I leaped from the ear canal to the staircase, finding no trace of Kabuto anywhere. It was just her on the stone steps, wind caressing her face and the sun started to fall early with the warm weather. There was no dark figure standing around or evil aura. Just her.

_Well, that's good. Hopefully no one saw us together. Things would turn sour if they did._ I sighed heavily._ I guess this means that my decision is forcefully made_. _I hate that damn enigma of a servant!_

I looked out over the village, noticing the soft glow of the evening light giving the area such a calming look. It was beautifully peaceful, and it made me remember how Ino and Choji sang together. It made her smile sadly.

"I'm sorry..." I spoke out to the wind.

I looked away and hurried down the stone steps. _Kabuto's carelessness probably caught Shikamaru's eye, especially if he ended up running into the real Asuma. Especially if he caught the same quirks that I did, which the probability is high..._

I wasn't too worried about Ino and Choji, they seemed like they would overlook the little thing. Not Shikamaru, though. He had sharp eyes. He distrusted me from the moment he saw me, no matter how friendly he tried to act.

_Next chance I get,_ I thought, biting into the side of my cheek,_ I'm going to the Hokage Tower. In and out. It'll be just like any other mission from here on out_.

* * *

He and his team searched every spot of the entire village that they could think of, but she was nowhere to be found. He constantly cursed himself for not keeping a better eye on her, for not have noticing the mistakes in the fake Asuma. He was growing too comfortable with the girl already. It hadn't even been that long since she arrived!

He was running passed the Training Grounds entrance when something caught his ears. He paused himself to listen more closely to what the sound was, and he prayed that it was something that could help him find the girl.

His eyes widened.

"..._Jutsu!_"

_Crash!_

He ran.

As he came into the opening of the field, he saw her back turned to him with her fist raised in the air, shouting, "Yeah, you better run away, you damn _pervert!_"

His brows furrowed in confusion, coming to a stop behind her. He looked around, taking note of the damp, blackened ground and huffing Mizuko. Her clothes were soaked and slightly ruffled. Her bun had come loose, giving her an insane woman look.

She stamped her feet in a partial tantrum, shouting in frustration and arms flailing with clenched fists, before whipping around, nearly bumping into him. Her eyes went wide, "Sh-Shikamaru! Um... Hi."

"What happened here?" he crossed his arms, staring down at her with hard eyes to show that he was clearly unamused.

She sighed heavily, avoiding his gaze as her hand grabbed her opposite bicep. She looked like a guilty child caught from a cookie jar. He wanted to know why, though. There was something biting at him about her until she spoke, "The guy that came to our karaoke room had been a fake. He turned out to be some pervert that was apparently stalking me for the past day since he saw me shopping with your mom. He transformed into Asuma as a way of pulling me away from you guys, and brought me here."

She paused for a moment, looking at him with dark eyes, "He grabbed me and tried to feel me up. I reacted, of course, and it turned into battle between us. I was able to send him running, though. He learned his lesson."

_Someone tried to_ rape_ her?_ he thought angrily. His eyes blinked for a moment as his brain went through one of its processes on the scenario. _Wait, she's been gone for about two hours... How could something like that have been occurring for two_ hours_ without anyone realizing? _He looked back to the field._ There's clear evidence that something had gone on here, though...  
_

His thoughts were quickly scattered when she tugged at the bottom of his shirt with her thumb and index finger, "Shikamaru?"

"Hm?" he looked down, seeing the weary look on her face. Even though he was suppose to be watching her every move, waiting for something suspicious to happen, he was still a _guy_. He couldn't help but feel at least a little sorry for her in this state when he had already grown use to her bubbly side.

"Can we go back to the house now?" she asked quietly. "I think I've had enough excitement for the day..."

He nodded silently, taking the his green shirt off and putting it on her. She seemed honestly surprised that he had done it, but he didn't want her catching a cold because she was soaked and the sun was going down.

Tomorrow he would see whether or not she was up for going on the mission still. If not, then he'd have to ask Tsunade for a rain check on it.

* * *

I sighed heavily out of pure exhaustion and a bit of sadness, but I kept the emotionless mask on my face. Shikamaru walked right next to me, I could sense a protective aura around him after what I had told him.

It felt horrible to lie to Shikamaru, which was odd since I had grown so use to lying to the world. Maybe it was just me feeling guilty from how he suddenly switched into a guy that looked like he'd snap the moment anyone even looked at me the wrong way.

After I had left the stone stairway near the monument of the previous Hokages, I found my way to the Training grounds. My brain had been cranking out ideas on how to make a cover story for Kabuto's idiotic carelessness. It felt like I was always cleaning up his messes, which made me wonder how he had gotten such a high rank with Orochimaru.

The best thing I could come up with had been using someone trying to get me. Obviously, with a snicker, I had plotted Kabuto's persona as the stalker of the scenario and me the damsel in distress. I had learned to grow creative when I was planting lies.

Wasting bits of my chakra, I made a scene with the water-styles. I made sure to make it look just like a battle scene, and since I had chosen the Training Grounds as my setting, no one bothered me. I added a few scorch marks in the ground, and close to my skin, to make it look like I had fought against a fire-style specialist.

Not wanting to be caught early, I made a small summoning jutsu to cast Rain the part of a lookout to warn me if someone was coming. The moment I heard the summoned water pixie's bird call, I knew that I only needed to make one jutsu left.

And being the high-ranked kunoichi I was, I had easily heard Shikamaru's footsteps coming towards me from behind. Despite becoming partially exhausted from the large amount of chakra I had used, I threw a small tantrum to make it more realistic.

Now my legs just felt like lead as I trudged down the familiar dirt road towards the Nara home. I could see figures up ahead through my heavy eyelid, but I couldn't quite make them out yet.

"Mizuko!" a girl called my name, the familiar voice belonged to Ino.

Before I knew it, a pair of arms where wrapped around my neck tightly and a female's body crashed into my own. She was a blubbering mess, crying about how worried she was when they couldn't find me. I stiffened at first but quickly returned the embrace so she would let go.

She didn't.

She simply clung tighter to me as Shikamaru went over to the male figures, who happened to be Choji and Asuma _of_ _course_, to tell them my lie. Ino's sobs only made the guilt boil deeper in my gut, and it grew worse when the largest of them hurried over to me to hug me the same. He was such a sweetheart, and the blond obviously had made some kind of attachment already.

I felt like a beloved puppy that had run away from them.

_Dammit..._ I scolded myself silently. Why can't I ever have my mind set on a single decision? Why must these people keep screwing with my mind? My eyes fell on Shikamaru, the biggest irritation of my thought process lately, as he spoke with his teacher. _Why are_ you _screwing with my head so much? Can't you decide whether or not your trust me!? _I thought about the light shirt he had put around me, which had fallen when Ino tackled me. I remember that smile, that stupid half-smile._ You act like I'm dangerous then you do nice things for me? What is wrong with_ you_?_

Feeling the dark princess from my past peek out, my thoughts turned dangerous_. I swear, you'll be the first to go if you keep doing this to me!_

_No, no, no! _I shook my head, trying to shake the eagerness of returning to the darkness away. It hadn't been a pleasant time for me, and I had kept it bottle since I found Aiji. I would_ not_ allow that demon to return.

It would have been so much easier had I never came to this village.


	23. Dark Princess

_Darkness stole my sight, but I could feel a smooth stone flooring under my aching body. My skin was coated with fresh bumps from the chilly temperature. I didn't know where I was. I pulled myself up into a sitting position with my legs folded underneath me, the cool floor against my bare legs sent shudders through my barely dressed frame. The last moment I remembered was stomping upstairs to Shikamaru's room after everyone left, changing into my pajamas, and going to bed. I skipped dinner since the sight of Kabuto made me lose whatever appetite that I might have had._

_A wooden door groaned as it was forced open, flooding bright lights into the room. It was blinding and hurt my eyes enough to cause me to squint them, covering them with a hand. I noticed that my hand was oddly dirty. The flooring was filthy along with the rest of the stone room._

_A silhouette stepped in front of the bright light, shadowing my smaller figure. I glared at it as the shine of glasses flashed when the person adjust them on his face. That irritating voice spoke with slight amusement as he ordered, "Get up. The lady wants to see you."_

The lady?_ I wondered silently._ What lady? Where am I? What the hell is Kabuto doing here, too?

_I didn't bother getting up, which Kabuto scowled at, "I said,_ get up!_"_

_The tone he used with me was one that I had never heard before and, boy, did it send fear through me. It dripped with pure venom, nothing like the familiar teasing guy I was use to. Even when he threatened my own life and my beloved Aiji's._

_Instantly, I scrambled to my feet, feeling oddly terrified to upset him again._

_"It's best not to keep her waiting," he told me, the scowl still in a deep set on his face as the light hit it when he turned. He looked younger than when I had seen him just a few hours ago. "You should know that she's not a very patient girl."_

_He left with nothing else said, and I followed after him through the familiar maze of hallways that were in Orochimaru's hideout. I noticed the soft glow of the familiar candles that made the stone-designed hall a warm orange color_._ Our footsteps were eerily loud due to the silence between us as we walked. I never was one to enjoy a conversation with someone like Kabuto, though._

_Suddenly, he came to a halt._

_I nearly ran into him from the pause to our destination. I looked up at him, noticing that he was staring coldly to his left. I followed his gaze to see a familiar redhead watching me with pitiful dark eyes. My eyes widened with recognition to the girl._

_Tayuya._

_"Get back to your room," he snapped._

_She flinched at the sound of his voice but threw one last sad glance at me before she obediently shut the door._

_I stared at the room for a long moment. My body frozen in shock of what I had just seen._

_Tayuya was_ alive_._

_How was that even possible?_

_I had found her dead body in the forest three years ago! _I_ had been the one to remove the giant hunks of tree trucks that were crushing her body. She was dead before I even had the chance to try saving her. _I_ was the one who had set a funeral not just for her, but for the rest of the Sound Ninja Five as well. How could she have been so easily standing in her old doorway, watching me with those sad eyes if she was dead!?_

_"Are you coming or not?" his voice cut through my thoughts like the sharpest of blades. I looked back to where Kabuto had been standing to find him several feet ahead of me, watching me with eyes full of irritation. "I told you to stop dallying around. She's going to make your punishment worse than it is if you don't hurry up."_

_Not bothering to ask or think about it, I hurried after him as he started walking again. A shot of fear sent through my nerves as he rambled on about how the_ Dark Princess _was becoming infuriated with my lack of progress and my indecisiveness. I didn't even understand what he was talking about_.

_Not long after, we appeared in front of two large, brown doors marked with the Otogakure symbol printed in crimson. I felt my breath catch in my throat that the sight of the room. I wasn't even suppose to be here! I was suppose to still be in the Nara house, not here!_

_Kabuto opened the door for me, but I didn't move._

_Onyx eyes glaring at me, he gestured for me to get in the room, but I still didn't move._

_He walked over to me, grabbing my wrist in a whimper-causing tight grasp. He pulled me towards the door, tightening his grip even more with each step since my heels were trying to dig into the ground to stop him. It hadn't worked well since the flooring was completely smooth._

_With one powerful yank, he threw me into the room, causing me to fall to my hands and knees. He shut the door behind me with a loud bang. It was obvious that he hadn't been happy with my refusal to go willingly._

_Instinctively, I jumped to my feet and pounced towards the door, clawing at it like a wild animal in a box. I shouted for him to let me out, but it wasn't his voice that answered to my thrashing._

_Behind me, a young girlish voice spoke, "Oh, my dear, why must you act so disgraceful?"_

_I flinched, my tantrum coming to an abrupt halt. The voice had been too familiar for me to possibly mistake it._

There's no way...

_I turned myself, but only to end up meeting eyes that were exactly like my own but darker and void of any warmth. Her entire being described cold darkness from the smile on her lips to the gaze she watched me with as she sat on the black throne that I had seen Orochimaru sitting in himself three days ago._

_"_No..._" was the only thing I could whisper._

_Long brunette curls bounced around her like snakes on a mythological woman's head. Her dress was had lace around the hems and was a dark navy that matched the waters of a sea on a moonless, starless night. The neckline cut just beneath her collarbones and revealed her shoulders. It had long sleeves that matched the blue hue of the dress before it turned to black lace at the beginning of her palm from her wrist. Around her neck, though, was something special. It was the teardrop necklace with the black rose in the base._

_She was no older than thirteen years of age, but I knew exactly who she was._

_She was me._

_Or at least, what I was in the past._

_Pale, slender fingers rested on her right shoulder. I looked passed the girl to find a pair of smiling snake-like eyes watching me from the shadow behind the throne. His smiling teeth gleamed in the leaked lighting._

_Orochimaru._

_Silently standing to her left with his hands behind his back, was a boy that was the exact same age as she. He looked indescribably similar to Aiji, and my muscles tensed as I realized that it was. He was exactly like how I last saw him, just with different clothes. His light gray hair that was cropped short in the back, leading into the long bangs that covered his forehead and curved around his thing face. His eyes shut, but I already knew that they were the same golden ones. He was dressed in black trousers and a white dress shirt, looking exactly like a servant.  
_

_She cackled in her own amusement, causing my attention back to her. Her cold eyes shining with power, "Now, bow to me!"  
_

_Her childish voice boomed with such force that my body immediately fell to my knees, hanging my head. It had felt like I was hit with my own Scream of the Siren jutsu, except this one had control of my movements.  
_

_In the corner of my mind, I saw one of my pixies standing next to me. I could see that it was Nana, who had been a personal favorite during the dark days of my life. Her bat-like wings twitching with discomfort and anxiety as she watched the younger girl. Her expression was filled with sadness as she opened her mouth and sang quietly._

_"_There was, once upon a time in another place,  
An evil kingdom who no person dared to face,  
And the ruler was a girl so mean,  
A tiny little princess of only age thirteen!_"  
_

_Clenching my jaw, I watched as Nana continued to sing the melody. She didn't sudden or avert her eyes from the girl on the throne. There was no shout of fury or order of execution, so I figured that she hadn't even heard the dark pixie's voice. I hoped, anyway._

_"_So many furnitures littered her abode.  
Her loyal servant, who's likeness surely showed.  
Gaki was what her horse was named.  
All the riches of the world is what she had claimed._"_

_At the sound of his name, I could hear my stallion's hooves clack against the stone as he whinnied. I dared myself to look up to find him walking over to the little dark girl. She smiled, a flash of warmth to only the horse, as she stroked his velvet muzzle. I was half-tempted to scream for her not to touch him!_

_Seeming like she sensed my frustration, the little queen let her eyes fall on me once again. All kindness that had been in those jewel-like eyes were gone, making them seem exactly as they looked. Unfeeling sapphires. Her smile turned into a bittersweet one. Her voice turned song-like._

_"_If you're short on money, that's no fearful thing.  
Just take it from those who you dangle on a string.  
To those who feel that they want to bring me down,  
You'll just tidy up my gown._"_

_Her face twisted with a sickly wicked look, "Now, bow to me!"_

_Nana shook her head sadly as more people appeared in the room, falling to their knees. I looked to my right to find Tayuya, which shocked me once again. Her eyes were no longer holding the depressing emotion in them. They just looked dead._

_Heels clacked against the floor loudly._

_I managed to lift my head ever so slightly, it was becoming more of a struggle to move since the girl started singing. It felt like me entire body was made from lead. She had left her black throne and was walking over to me. She knelt gracefully, pinching my chin between her thumb and index finger. A smirk hung on her lips._

_"_Evil flowers,  
Steadily bloom,  
With an array of colourful doom,  
But the weeds who feel that they want to stay.  
They'll just die and feed me the same anyway._"_

_Nana looked at my pitifully, as she quietly sang._

_"_The princess held a love for a boy,  
Of green who wasn't very much her fan.  
But instead he chose his neighbor's girl,  
Of Sand who's eyes shone like a pearl._"_

_The background behind my younger self. It was a sandy background that reminded me of the Sand Village's desert just before the great sand walls that protected the village. Gusts of wind blew dirt clouds around the area. The sky was a bright blue with puffy whites._

_ My eyes widened as I saw Shikamaru walking over to a blond that wasn't his teammate. Her hair was sandier than Ino's, taking a darker shade. She wore single light purple-coloured, off-the-shoulders garment that extended to halfway down her thighs, with a scarlet sash tied around her waist. In addition to incorporating fishnet worn over her shoulders and legs, specifically on her right calf and her left thigh, she also wore her black forehead protector around her neck._

_I blinked owlishly at her familiarty. I didn't know who she was or how I knew her, but I knew that I saw her before at some point in my life. It could have been in one of the villages I traveled to during my missions._

_I felt the dark princess's fingers leave my chin. She stood up and turned, taking in the sight of the scene that I was witnessing. My chest tightened partially at the sight of them intertwining their fingers. I didn't even need to look up to see the young girl's face twist with anger._

_"_The princess knew this and was filled with rage.  
She called the minister locked in her cage,  
And said in a soft voice to not be heard..._"_

_In a deadly whisper, the young version growled, "Make sure the Wind country is badly stirred."_

_The scene changed again to reveal the Sand Village to be turned to mud. Buildings crashed to the ground as the water filled the streets like a river. Some bodies floated, some were already sinking in the underwater mud, others were bloodily pinned to stronger buildings that had yet to crash._

_The girl that had been with Shikamaru, the one that was obviously from the Sand Village now, was being held by Aiji on top of the great sand walls. His face darkened with displeasure and a cold gleam in his usually warm golden eyes. He placed a hand on her chest, pushing her into the deep depths of the rising waters that had turn the village into a giant pool of mud. His hand was coated in blood._

_"_Houses of the people were watered to the ground.  
So many voices would no longer make a sound.  
The people who had suffered so much pain,  
Didn't get pity from the one who'd slain._"_

_The girl sat on the ledge, smiling down at the chaos that occurred below her as she kicking her legs. She looked up towards the sun, and her smile grew wider when she spoke with a child-like voice, "Oh, it's tea time."_

_Nana stepped in front of my vision, placing a cool hand on my forehead. I felt the heavy weight lift off me as she sang, her eyes never leaving mine._

_"_Evil flowers,  
Steadily bloom,  
With an array of bloodied doom.  
Even though the flower is so very refined,  
The thorns had driven it's garden to decline._"_

_As I stood, the gruesome image around me changed again, but it changed to the Leaf Village gates this time. I was just out side of them with the lush forest behind me.  
_

_"_To defeat the princess was no easy task,  
But the people could no longer wear their mask.  
Like a flock of birds they were led by,  
A red lady Hokage into the nigh._"_

___ The moonlit beams in the dark night grazed themselves against Tsunade as she stood, dressed in traditional Leaf shinobi wear, in front of an army of shinobi in similar uniforms with bits of their own style to them. Her arms were crossed, bronze eyes glaring at me with disgust._

___When they ran towards me, I was surprised when they ran _passed___ my shaking form. I hadn't even realized I was shaking from the intimidating look that she had given me. She had clearly seen me, but she ran passed? Why?_

___I looked behind myself to find them already gone._

___I ran._

___"_All the secrets that had built up over the years,  
Now revealed them without any fears,  
But the army was battered from the great war.  
Their attacks were not much of a chore.___"_

___As my legs started to burn from the sudden start, the forest grew. The trees were taller than before, causing less sunlight to be allowed to leak through the great green canopies. The dirt road had grown grass against my bare feet, making small crunch sounds beneath my running.  
_

___I came to a halt in front of the familiar hole in the ground that had become the entrance to the Sound Village. Even though I was outside, the shrill screams of the people inside were easily heard as though they were right next to me. ____My nerves heightened as I bolted inside, my fists pumping furiously._  


___"_Once they fell, the countrymen surrounded the court.  
The servants ran away as time was short.  
Little woman princess would not pose a fight,  
And she was finally captured in the night.___"_

___There was only one person on my mind as I ran through the halls. I ran passed all the fighting as if it hadn't even been there. The bloodshed on the walls made me run faster. The bodies on the ground of both Sound and Leaf._

___Sooner than I had thought and was thankful for, I arrived before the great doors again. They were already opened with a large mass of people, their weapons drawn and ready to attack, surrounded one._

___I saw blue and black layers as Tsunade shouted angrily about something disrespectful. Two shinobi ran forward, grabbing the dark princess from under her arms. It was a great relief to me to see that she was taken by them. She wouldn't ever be allowed to harm anyone again, right?_

___That's what I thought at least._

___Until I saw the softened sapphires staring straight at me, warmth and love filled in them._

___"_Aiji...___" my own eyes widened._

___Behind me, I heard soft singing that was different from Nana's._

___"_Evil flowers,  
Steadily bloom,  
With an array of the finest doom.  
How the paradise that she made for herself.  
Put this broken doll right back on the wooden shelf.___"_

___I turned around to find a shadow slightly twitching. I peered closer at it to find emotionless blue eyes staring passed me to the boy being thrown to the ground like a rag doll. Her mouth was a neutral thin line, not a smile nor a frown._

___It was as if she was indifferent about him willingly taking her place to protect her._

___In disgust, I looked back to find him, still transformed as the dark princess, with his face being smashed against the ground. Tsunade, eyes dark from the deaths of so many people that had been killed before of the girl's order, raised a long, sharp sword above her head as she glared at the boy._

___His eyes, though, didn't met hers. They didn't even meet the girl's that was behind me._

___They stay completely focused on mine, keeping me froze to my spot.  
_

___I saw his lips move, forming only a single sentence before the blade came straight down on his head._

* * *

"___No!_"

I sat straight up from the bed, wide-eyed and covered with a thick layer of cold sweat. My breathing came out in short, horrified pants. My heart was ramming against my ribcage as if it was trying to force its way out. I knew my body was vibrating with fear and my heart's rampage.

I sniffled, feeling as if there were dried glue on my cheeks. I lifted a hand to it to find tear tracks on either side of my face.

Loud footsteps pounded up the stairs, and I knew Shikamaru had heard my shout.

I ignored him when he came bursting into the room, staring at me with his own pair of wide eyes. I knew that I looked like a mess, but I didn't care. My thoughts were only focused on the words I had read from Aiji's transformed lips.

_Protect them as you have always protected me, sensei.  
_

_What a contradiction, _I thought, glaring down at my own hands in my lap and barely feeling more tears rolling down my numbed face._ He asks me to protect them like how I would with him when he dies in front of me at their hands. It was my own fault, too... That stupid, lovable kid...  
_

* * *

**(A/N): So, I actually based this chapter off a dream I had the night before. I had been listening to a lot of Vocaloid songs lately... And I happened to have been listening to Daughter of Evil by Rin Kagamine. I know that I cut off the end of the song, and changed a few lyrics to make it more part of the story, but still. It was weird to have that dream so soon after Mizuko had an argument with Shikamaru. I figured I'd throw it in.**

**_Daughter of Evil_ by Rin Kagamine (sung by Ketsuban):  watch?v=lYJATjB88lI&list=PLNJgjeANYVDFnbdAyd3YGGDKZNUWVPvMk**


	24. Ding, dong! Welcome to the Nightmare

His mother had made too much for dinner, which happened to be a good thing since his team stayed for it. His parents seemed to have sensed that Mizuko hadn't been in the mood to do anymore singing without him telling them about the recent incident. The team kept quiet about it as well, figuring that it was something personal for only her to talk about. What was odd about the dinner, though, was how he always felt like someone was watching him. He'd look up, and, sure enough, Mizuko was staring at him with eyes at seemed like they were trying to put a difficult puzzle together.

Ino seemed to have caught it also and misinterpreted it, dragging him off the side and quietly squealing, "She's had dreamy eyes on you_ all_ night! I think she's starting to fall for you, Shikamaru!"

Lately, she's been trying to push the idea of making a relationship out of strangers since the girl arrived. It was horrible during the mission when the girl wasn't around to save him from his blond teammate's chatter. He couldn't understand why she was so bound-determined to get into his love life, though he didn't have one. It was worse with Temari since he actually knew her.

"I highly doubt that," he had told her, and he believed it. In some moments when he caught the girl staring, it looked like she was shooting daggers at him through her eyes. Other times it was like she was pitying him for something he couldn't understand, something that seemed like she knew and he didn't. Other than her eyes, her expression was an emotionless mask and her body language neutral. That scared him a little.

After dinner, his friends and teacher had left, thanking his mother for having them. Mizuko had said her good-byes to them and disappeared before he shut the door. He heard her thudding footsteps going down the upstairs hall followed by a slam from the door. She was silent for awhile afterwards.

When his parents were getting ready to return to their own bedroom, his mother caught him as he was setting up the couch. She had asked him to check on the girl before he settled in. He was going to ask her why she couldn't, but she gave him a stern look that made him shut his mouth faster than he had opened it to speak.

After he heard his parents' door close, he went upstairs and knocked on his own door. It felt weird since he still wasn't use to knocking on it, waiting for permission to enter his personal area.

There was no answer.

He peeked inside, noting the darkness of the room. The only form of light came from the window, where moonlight was leaking through the glass panels. It washed over the girl, giving him enough of the white light to see that her back was to him. She wasn't moving, so he figured that she had went to sleep already and quietly shut the door before heading back down to the couch.

Over the course of the past few days, he had grown to falling asleep to the girl's lullaby-singing voice. Now he was restless, tossing and turning against his strange inability to sleep. He didn't know how long he had been staring at the ceiling or shifting his positing on the couch.

He seemed like hours had passed before he finally got some rest.

* * *

_It was long before he woke up again, staring back up at the darkness of the ceiling above him. It couldn't quite figure why he was having so much trouble. What it possibly that he felt guilty?_

Guilty? _his mind asked._ What was there to be guilty about?

Well, there is this whole situation about Mizuko, _he thought quietly._ Maybe it's a little harsh to keep doubting her like this. She's done nothing wrong so far.

She's gotten into your _mind_, Shikamaru! _he felt himself scowl deeply, his brows furrowing._ It's easy to see her as suspicious. A bright girl that wanders the countries for Kami knows how long just to suddenly decide that she wants to live in the Leaf Village of all places. She's pretty, but it wasn't overwhelmingly where every guy stared at her. When she cries, she looks small and pitiful. Of course you'd have that feeling to protect her! You're a _guy!_ Remember how devastated _Ino_ was when she heard that Sasuke left?

_Sadly, he did._

_He, Choji, and Asuma spent months trying to cheer their usually bubbly blond up when the Uchiha had left for Orochimaru. She barely left her room for awhile, not even working downstairs at the flower shop. Her mom had taken the station there while she was down. She didn't really eat for awhile either. He and Choji literally had to carry her out of her house so she could go out to their training. She'd take out a lot of frustration out on the practice dummies then fall to her knees balling her eyes out._

Maybe that's how Mizuko was feeling... I mean, from her stories, it's obvious she had a deep attachment to that kid then to suddenly up and leave? _A thought popped into his head._ Why did she leave without him behind then?

_Frustrated, he sat up, glaring into the darkness. He pushed all his thoughts into the back of his mind. It surely wasn't helping his lack of sleep, but it was making him more exhausted._

Thump, thump, thump.

_Footsteps._

_His head whipped around towards the stairs, barely seeing a shadow before it disappeared. He stiffened, tension quickly rising in his body, "Mom? Dad?"_

_He was hoping that it was his parents, but there was no answer. He tried another name, "Mizuko, are you there?"_

_Still no reply._

_He swung his legs off the edge of the couch and got up, heading towards the stairs. With a hand on the wall, he called each name again. He still hadn't gotten any reply _

Thump, thump, thump.

_He flinched._

_He went back over to the couch, pulling a kunai from between the cushions. He returned to the stairway and quietly went up them, trying to keep his presence silent. He flicked the light on, but he only saw the empty hall._

_He peeked into his parents' room to find them sleeping away peacefully. His mother curled against his father under their comforter, soft snores echoing the room. He shut the door and headed towards his room._

_He poked his head in to find..._

_It was empty._

She's probably on the roof,_ he thought, his heart rate starting to quicken ever so slightly.  
_

_His eyes glanced at the window, but it wasn't open. She normally left it open for an easy entrance._

Thump, thump, thump.

_The sound came from downstairs._

Maybe she went to get a glass of water._ He was trying to reassure himself, to calm the tightening of his muscles. He was becoming paranoid. _Dammit, Shikamaru, stop acting like your in a horror movie!

_Flicking off the hallway light, he went downstairs and into the kitchen._

_It, too, was empty._

_Deathly silence surrounded him. Not even the dripping of the faucet reached his ears. His breath was caught in his throat._

_SLAM!_

_He nearly jumped out his skin at the sound._

_It sounded like it came from the living room. The front door maybe?_

_He hurried over to it despite the darkness of the room. His hand grasped the handle of his door in a knuckle-whitening tightness. The only sound he could hear was his panicked breathing, so he gulped a breath and calmed it. His heart rate was going wild in his chest.  
_

_That's when he hear it._

_"_Ding, dong! Hurry up, I'm waiting.  
Far too late to run.  
Away to see if I can catch you."

_The voice was coming from outside. He opened the door, peeking out side to find mostly darkness. The stars weren't even twinkling in the sky. The moon, though, was an oddly red hue. It made him think of blood._

_His gaze followed the paler crimson beam of moonlight to a willow tree that had appeared in the center of the dirt path that led from his house to the rest of the village. Its long, thin branches floating against a breeze that he couldn't feel._

"Ding, dong! Hurry up, I'm starving.  
Waiting for you here,  
I know that you are near so come out."

_The apparent breeze went away and the branches parted on their own, revealing a figure on what seemed to have been a swing made from them. The person's head looked up, shadows fleeing from their features as the light hit their face. His breath caught in his throat again._

_It was Mizuko._

_Her hair was down, resting against her back like a waterfall of brunette while her fringe rested softly on her forehead in a perfect curl. She wore a white, long-sleeved dress that stopped at her neckline made a lacy 'U' shape from shoulder to shoulder under her collarbones. The torso half of the dress fit snugly around her while the skirt was pleated and flowed. The sleeves were a thin material that went from her shoulders to her fingertips that laid one atop of the other on her lap, just barely revealing the dark blue polish. He noticed a black ribbon around her neck, making the skin around it seem even paler than the dress._

_Sapphire eyes locked against his, but they didn't have its usual shine in them. They just seemed dead and unfeeling. A cruel smile tugged her lips, a gleam of canines that seemed sharper that Kiba's caught his eyes. She was singing softly a good dozen feet away from him, but it sounded like she was right in front of him._

_He wanted to run, but his body felt like it was paralyzed. _

"Staring through the window,  
No escape from my cold gaze now.  
Tearing through your eyelids,  
Creeping close to see you nearer."

_She gracefully stood from her makeshift swing. __ It had been just what Shikamaru figured it was, a swing made from the willow vines. T_he twisted grin still on her lips, staring at him with crazy sapphires. A black color spread from her pupils, covering the whites of her eyes like ink in water. He watched as the girl walked towards him. The vine swing behind her untangled itself and joined the other branches in another sway against an invisible breeze that he still couldn't feel.

"Ding, dong! Hurry up, and run now,  
So that we can play,  
Tag on this very special day of fun now."

_He felt his control take over his body again and slammed the front door shut. He bolted up the stairs, heading straight for his parents' room to warn them of the danger he was feeling. The knife was long forgotten._

_He flung their door open... but it was empty. They were gone._

_Fear and panic heightened his nerves like a wicked tonic._

_His eyes went wide when he hear a door-like creaking form down stairs. He heard the girl cheerfully singing._

"Ding dong! Hurry up, I'm in now.  
Better run and hide,  
So I can never find you peeking."

_His breathing started out in quick, breathless pants. He rushed to his own room, cursing at how loud his footsteps were against the wooden floor in the silence. _

"Thumping down the hallway.  
Footsteps on an old wood floor board.  
Breathing in a whisper.  
I can hear it getting closer."

_He dived into his bedroom before he quickly shut his door. He prayed that she hadn't heard it._

_There was something about the girl downstairs that he knew wasn't Mizuko, but it horrified him all the same. Her dead eyes had shifted to an insane look, one that he's seen on a murder's face. It was the same look he remembered seeing on the Kazekage, Gaara, once during the Chūnin Exams when him and Naruto went to visit Choji and Lee._

"No, no, you can never hide,  
(I can see you there).  
No, no, you can never hide,  
(I can see your hair).  
No, no, you can never hide,  
(I can see you're scared).  
No, no, you can never hide."

_All thoughts were erased as he heard the girl's footsteps against the stairs, growing ever closer._

_He looked around for a hiding spot or some sort of escape._

_His eyes landed on the window and he hurried over to it. He tried to open it, but it wouldn't budge!_

_He looked down to find that it had been nailed shut. He was about to shove his shoulder against it in an attempt to bust the glass open when a voice made him freeze._

"Knock, knock! I'm affront your bedroom,  
And I'm coming in.  
Don't need a key or pin to help me."

_The doorknob twisted slowly, like she was taunting him._

_He thought about hiding under the bed, but that would have been the first place she would have checked. Instead, he dove into his closet and shut the door swiftly._

_He heard his door open with a slow creak that was shortly followed by the soft shuffling of feet._

"Knock, knock! I'm inside your bedroom.  
Can't see where you've hid,  
But worry not, the game is ending."

_He flinched._

_His breath was deathly silent suddenly, so he figured that he was unconsciously holding it. He huddled himself in the farthest corner of his closet. He tried looking for some kind of weapon, one that either he or the real Mizuko could have put there, but he failed to find one._

_The shuffling continued as she went about the room. He could hear a few things moving as her voice infiltrated his ears. She was searching for him, and he knew it._

_____By now, blood was roaring in his ears and he could feel his body throbbing with his heart's fearful attempt to escape his body and run. Run far away from whatever he was being cursed for._

"Look under the bedsheets.  
Clever boy to keep me guessing.  
Cannot find a body,  
But I haven't checked the closet."

_Before he could react, the door swung up with a loud _bang!_ against the wall. He flinched, staring horrified at her features. That wide smile shining at him as those dark eyes watched him. He knew that he looked like a frightened child, but that was exactly how he felt. He couldn't understand why this was happening to him._

"(Ding, dong! Here you are, and ...)"

_Her head started tilting from side to side with that creepy doll-like expression. It looked like her head was coming loose from her body with how easily it tilted._

_His body was frozen once more._

_He couldn't breath. He couldn't think. _

_The only thing he could do was stare into the dark depths of her eyes._

"Ding, dong! I have won this game.  
(Now it's your turn...)  
Ding, dong! I have won this game.  
(Now it's your turn...)  
Ding, dong! I have won this game.  
(Now it's your turn...)  
Ding, dong! It was such a shame."

_Her head's tilting came to an abrupt halt, her smile growing even wider if it was possible._

_He watched as she reached up a hand, pulling the skin away from under her eyes. He was terrified as even paler skin, white as pure snow, was underneath it. She was peeling half of her face off in front of him like a snake shedding its skin._

_She closed her eyes for a moment._

Ding, dong! You can never hide.  
(No one else is left...)

_When she re-opened them, the whites were no longer black, but her sapphires were gone. They had been replaced by golden, cat-like eyes._

_No, snake-like._

_She laughed, but it wasn't feminine. It was masculine._

_Her already dark hair grew even more so until it was black._

_The familiar half-face of Orochimaru stood there in Mizuko's body, cackling as he raised a kunai knife. It was probably the one Shikamaru had left at the door when he ran._

_The twisted smile gleamed in red moonlight as it used her voice to say on last line._

"Ding, dong! This is my good-bye."

_"No!" a woman shouted.  
_

_The dream shattered like a glass mirror.  
_

* * *

He woke up with a start, flinging himself into an upright sitting position. His breathing was hard, and his heart was rampaging painfully in his chest. He was covered with sweat from the nightmare. His eyes were wide as he stared at the surroundings in front of him. His head was pounding against his skull.

_What the hell happened?!_ his mind roared. _What was that?!_

Then it clicked in his head.

_Mizuko!_

He leaped from the couch and ran upstairs.

He came to a halt in front of his parents' room._ I have to check. I have to be sure._

Cracking the door ever so slightly, he looked inside.

They were still sleeping. Man, were his parents heavy sleepers or what?

He hurried to his own room, not bothering to knock as he burst through it.

Sitting upright on his bed, Mizuko was looking down at her hands in her lap. His eyes widened as he looked at her. She was in the same state he had been when awoken. He could see her shaking. The blanket that had been on his bed ended up looking like it had been kicked to the foot to the foot of it.

_Her shout woke me up,_ he thought, blinking. _She saved me from that death nightmare of Orochimaru..._

His body shuddered at the memory of that creepy image of her hunting for him in his house then to peel off her skin to show that she was turning into Orochimaru. As if the girl could sense his his uneasiness, her hands clenched into fists.

_Maybe it was a sign..._

The moment he saw her face when she finally looked up at him, tear tracks glistening against her cheeks, the thought was immediately pushed out of his mind. She looked so small and fragile as she watched him. He could feel his face soften.

His body moved towards her before his senses could get to him.

He sat down in front of her, brushing the continuing tears from her face with his hand. He didn't understand why he was suddenly so calm; maybe it was because he knew deep down that she wasn't the destructive sannin?

"N-Nightmare..." she stammered, pushing his hand away from her face.

"Me, too," he chuckled, but he didn't understand why he found it funny. Could it have been because they both had terrible nightmares?

He wondered what had happened in hers and if it had been as awful as his own, but he didn't ask.

She gave a shaky sigh, "I'm sorry if I woke you with my shout."

"Actually," he told her, "I'm kind of grateful you did. Things weren't going too well."

"At least you didn't get a knife in your head," she avoided his eyes, looking towards the windows. He felt himself stiffen since that _was_ what was going to happen. He glanced at it only to find a white moon peeking through instead of the crimson one from his nightmare. She spoke again, though, but quietly as if it was more towards herself than him, "I knew that something bad would have happened if I didn't sing that damn lullaby."

"Why do you do that?" he was curious.

She glanced at him from the corner of her eye before looking back at the moon, "Aiji use to get nightmares when we first started living together. He'd wake up in the middle of the night, crawling into my bed and crying about how I would leave him or something like that. I came up with that lullaby so he knew that I wouldn't, and I would sing to him every night. The nightmares left him." She shrugged, "I started singing them here figuring that the wind might carry the lyrics to him somewhere. It's stupid, I know, but it eases my mind about him being out there without me."

"Then it's not stupid," he protested, suddenly feeling a little defensive that she was speaking badly of her own feelings.

She turned her head to look at him, smiling slightly in a teasing way, "Since when did you care so much?"

The question caught him off guard because he honestly didn't know the answer. When _did_ he start?

Instead he shrugged, starting to get up, "Anyway, I guess I should let you get ba—"

He cut himself short when a hand grabbed the corner of his shirt.

He looked down to find the brunette looking up at him with pleading eyes, "Shikamaru, can... can you stay here for a little bit? I don't want to be alone."

He stared at her for a moment before he nodded and sat back down on the bed, resting his back against the the wall. She sat the same way, except with her legs folded in a pretzel-like position. They simply sat in silence, but it wasn't uncomfortable.

He thought he would have been terrified of being alone in a room with Mizuko after that horrible dream, especially in his own room, but he felt relaxed. Again, it must have been because he knew that she wasn't Orochimaru is disguise. She's basically the complete opposite of how he expected the snake sannin to act.

_It must be the exams getting to me lately,_ he decided. _I've been so stressed out about them that everything's been having me jump back to the ones three years ago. Naruto's back, and things have been trying to relate to it. We've been taking special precautions with the exams ever since the Third Hokage was killed during Orochimaru's attack. We've become allies with the Sand, but we can never be too careful in case he decides to attack again_.

"Shikamaru?" she sounded tired.

"Hm?" he hummed questionably.

He heard her sigh again, "Thank you for staying."

He nodded, "It's not a problem."

That was the end of their conversation. The rest of the time was spent sitting in the quietness of the room, watching shadows dance and the light grow and shrink on the floor. He found it peaceful.

He flinched when something hit his shoulder and something else brushing against his neck. It wasn't hard enough to hurt, but he felt it.

He turned his head to look, but his chin ended up bumping into a soft hair-like texture. His brain registered that she fallen asleep on his shoulder, soft snores escaping her slightly parted lips. Her hands were limply in her lap.

_Troublesome girl,_ he sighed as he pulled the blanket over the both of them. It had grown a little chilly in the room.

* * *

**(A/N): See? They both have bad dreams! It was sweet of him to stay with her.**

**_Hide and Seek_ by SeeU mixed with JubyPhonic's (sung by JubyPhonic):  watch?v=caAGyHayvaY&list=PLNJgjeANYVDFnbdAyd3YGGDKZNUWVPvMk**


	25. Time For Cake!

"_Ah-ha!_" Tsunade's cheered with a bright grin, causing her assistant to squeak in surprise. She had been up all night for the past two nights, researching through older documents that her teacher had kept to find anything on the new kunoichi. Her determination to find details on the girl had started when the ANBU interrogators had told her that they had informat_on on her being in the village before in the past._

Tonton raised her head from the Hokage's lady to look up questionably at her mistress, "Oink?"

The blond woman's head snapped to the younger, dark-haired woman, "Shizune, get Shikamaru Nara and Mizuko Kurosawa here immediately!"

"Can I ask why, milady?" the assistant was slightly shaking at the Hokage's tired yet alert expression.

Her eyes glared at the younger woman, "Just get them in my office _now!_"

Immediately, Shizune left the room.

* * *

"Hng..." I groaned as consciousness started to return to me. I felt a light pressure on the side of my head with a warm source sitting next to me. _What's on me?_

I froze when I heard faint breathing.

_That's right, I confirmed._ I had asked Shikamaru to stay with me last night. _Why did I even do that? I blame that stupid dream having scared me._ I thought back on it and remembered a certain detail that caused a bright red heat to fill me face. _Why did that stupid nightmare say that I was in _love_ with him?! There's no way that was going to happen!_

The boy made some strange noise that cut through my thoughts. _Did he fall asleep on me?_

"Mizuko!" I heard Yoshino call. "There's a messenger at the door for you and Shikamaru!"

My heart stopped.

_Please tell me that his mother didn't see us like this_!

I tried to pull away, but something around my waist prevented it. It felt like I was wearing a belt of some sort.

Of course, being as curious of a person as I was, I pulled the blanket off myself to find...

Shikamaru's arm around me.

I felt my face burn a few shades darker at the sight and instinctively pushed him away from me.

He fell off the bed with a yelp.

He sat up, rubbing his head and glaring at me, "What was that for?!"

"_Shhh!_" I hissed, getting on my hands and knees and reaching one hand over to cover his mouth. He looked at me with wide eyes before, just for a second, I saw his eyes travel slightly lower and his face flushing crimson. My blood boiled, but I kept it under control for a moment. "You mother—"

"Mizuko?" Yoshino called again. "Is everything alright? I heard something fall."

"I'll be down in a second!" I told her quickly. "I think I saw Shikamaru go around to the back of the house!"

"Okay, I'll fetch him," she said. There were a few murmured voices before she spoke again, "Just hurry up and get dressed!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

I heard the door shut downstairs. I sighed a relieved breath as I pulled my hand away from the boy's mouth and ran it through my hair to get it out of my face.

His face was still crimson.

I growled.

_Slap!_

A bright red hand print was all the evidence that proved I had slapped him. He had yelped again.

I grabbed his collar and dragged him over to the window. I quickly opened it, ushering him out, "Get out of here before you mom decides to check in on me!"

"What a drag," he muttered as he started to crawl out.

_This makes me feel like a girl trying to hide her boyfriend from her mother!_ my head whined, but my face blew up into what I was sure was a new shade of red at the thought. _I do not like Shikamaru, Kami dammit!_

The knob started to turn on the door.

My breathing stopped.

Instantly, I pushed him out the window and shut it as Yoshino walked in, "I didn't see him out there."

A flurry of curses were heard from outside.

She walked over and we both looked out the window to find Shikamaru rubbing his head.

I bit my lip silently as his mother opened the window and shouted at him to get inside and make himself presentable. Apparently, from what I understood from her shouts at her son, there was a messenger downstairs claiming that the Hokage had wanted them both in her office as soon as possible.

_What does she need me there for?_ I felt myself pale a little as a thought hit me. _Could someone have actually seen Kabuto and I?! Does she know!?_

A hand clamped on my shoulder, and I flinched at the contact. Yoshino was giving me a very mother-like warning smile, "Well, I'm going to step out for a moment. When I come back in, I expect that you'll be dress,_ right_, Mizuko?"

"Y-Yes, ma'am," I stammered, feeling the obvious intimidation that she was inflicting on me. "I'll be dressed and ready to leave in about ten minutes."

"Good girl," she patted my shoulder and left the room swiftly.

Oh, Kami, is she scary when she gets that look on her face! I shivered. Well, better start getting dressed.

I went over to my drawer, pulling out the basic articles of clothing. I slipped off my camisole and on a pale blue halterneck tank before a navy blue, off-the-shoulders, low cut, long-sleeved sweater with the hem ending about six inches under my breasts. I exchanged my sleeping shorts for a pair of black short shorts. I fussed with a pair of black, translucent knee-high stockings.

I hurried out of the room and was just barely able to beat Shikamaru from getting in there before me. He was already dressed in the dark blue uniform of shinobi minus the sleeveless, dark green flak jacket.

"Hey!" he glared. "I was about to go in there."

I smirked at him, "I'm a girl, so I need it more. You're more than welcome to come in and join me if you want." I winked at him.

With that, I turned my back to him and proudly went to the sink, brushing my teeth.

He ended up joining me, but I noticed he had a little more color in his face than he had seconds ago. We fought for room over the sink, pushing against each other and hip bumping.

I, though, was dominating our battle.

"_Space hog,_" he growled irritably, looking slightly rabid with the foamy white toothpaste around his mouth, but I knew he was only mad because of me shoving him out the window faster than he would have liked.

We quickly spat out the toothpaste in the sink once finished.

"That's what you get for taking to long, lazy bones," I laughed, taking a handful of water in my hands and slurping it into my mouth. I swished it around and spat it out.

"I just woke up," was his excuse to me before he mimicked my motion.

"Whatever," I rolled my eyes. I grabbed my hairbrush that I had stashed in one of the cabinets and ran it through my messy hair, turning it into its usual high ponytail. "You just wanted to cuddle with me a little longer."

He spat all the water at once in the sink and choked a little on it. I patted his back as he coughed out, "As if!"

"C'mon," I tugged on the back of his shirt. "We've got to get going if we don't want your mom to scold us."

"Since when did... you start listening to anyone?" he was still coughing slightly, but it was coming to a stop.

I looked at him like he was crazy, "Since your mom scares me. I like her and all, but she scares me with that intimidating look of hers when she wants something done but she's still smiling."

"Oh, the _Mom_ look," he sighed.

"The what?" I quirked an eyebrow at him.

It was his turned to stare at me for a moment before he remembered something, "Oh, it's just a thing that a mother gives when she's trying to keep a polite exterior around guests, but she wants you to do something. It's a common thing. You'll get use to it."

"Lovely," I sighed this time as we headed down the stairs.

"Oh, are you two leaving?" Yoshino asked from her spot on the couch.

We nodded simultaneously.

"You're not planning on eating breakfast?"

At the mention of food, my stomach gave a growl. I felt my face warm with embarrassment at it, wrapping my arms around the source of noise.

"We'll pick it up on the way over," Shikamaru said, causing me to look up at him to find his eyes moving back to his mother. I figured that he had glanced down at me. I was never a happy camper when I was hungry.

"Alright. Well, get going then," she smiled to us, shooing us to the door.

We went over, putting on our shoes on.

I had just strapped my heel to my ankle when we said our good-byes to Yoshino before heading out.

* * *

As promised, Shikamaru paused at a shop so he could get something for Mizuko and him. He had her wait outside on one of the little picnic benches outside so she wouldn't cause a ruckus. She had been whining for ten minutes straight about how hungry she was and how she was going to waste away into dust if she didn't eat something soon.

It was kind of like hanging out with Choji when his mother had taken his snacks away for a week.

He chuckled at the memory of it.

"Excuse me, sir," the young man at the counter tilted his head at Shikamaru's chuckling. "Can I take your order?"

"Can I just get one of those small cakes," he pointed at one of the variety of cakes in the glass display, "and a sandwich?"

Honestly, he didn't know whether or not the girl liked sweets, but it would have been a simple thing to clear up. The sandwiches normally came with two anyway.

"Sure," the clerk replied.

He handed over the amount needed to pay for the order as the clerk handed over a small bag with the goodies inside. The guy nodded, which Shikamaru returned as a thankful gesture. At least he won't have Mizuko whining about food anymore... unless she doesn't eat it.

He stepped out of the shop to find her with her head on the table, hands gripping the other side of the table like she were holding onto it to keep someone from pulling her away. She was groaning like she was just waking up, but he knew she was just being dramatic.

"Mizuko."

She perked up at the sound of her name, sitting straight up like she hadn't been splayed out on the table just a moment ago. She started wiggling in her seat as he walked over to her, placing the bag between them before he sat down.

"What'd ya' get?" she clapped her hands together, rubbing them as he watched the gleams in her eyes.

Shrugging, he pulled out a right triangular-shaped wrap that he knew had to be his sandwiches. He pulled out another wrapping as he spoke, "I didn't really know what to get for you, but I figured this would be alright."

She took it from his hand as though she were taking a delicate glass bowl. She quickly unwrapped it and squeaked, eyes growing wide in surprise before they met his. He quirked an eyebrow at her unusual expression, taking a bite out of one of the sandwiches.

It was just a simple vanilla cake with white frosting and a strawberry on top, nothing to really get excited about.

"I love cake!" she grinned toothily at him. "It's even got a strawberry on it!"

He swallowed, "You like strawberries, huh?"

"Yeah, I love them. I was never a big fan of cherries, though." Her head was bobbing vigorously in a nod. "I use to try to grow some strawberries in areas that I was stationed at for awhile. I never had much of a green thumb. I'm better with keeping fish alive than plants."

"Well, you do claim yourself to be a _mermaid_," he replied to her. He took another bite before he realized something, "What did you mean by 'stationed'?"

"Hm?" she blinked in slight surprise, popping the red berry into her mouth.

"You said that you were stationed."

"_Oh,_" her eyes widened slightly. "I meant, when I was on certain missions in the villages. Sometimes I'd crave strawberries and try to grow them if I staying somewhere for a long period of time. It never worked out. Even some of the farmers would try to help me, but they said that I had a poisonous touch to plants." She shrugged. "Like I said, better with fish."

It seemed so nonchalant when she talked about it, but something bit at him. He could quite figure what it was, though. "So, why did you pick a mythical being like a mermaid?"

"Mythical?" her brows furrowed, pausing the fork that was just inches from her mouth. She set it back down for a moment, "Mermaids are _not_ mythical."

He looked at her oddly. _Does she still believe in fairy tales?_

"Have you ever seen one?" she asked.

He shook his head, unable to speak from the food in his mouth.

A cocky smirk hooked itself on her lips and, Kami, he was starting to hate it. It always meant trouble for him whenever she did it. "Well, you can't exactly say that they're mythical unless you've seen one." She stuck the forkful in her mouth.

He swallowed, smacked his hand against his forehead, and sighed, "How exactly am I suppose to prove that they're mythical by seeing one? That's the whole point of a myth, to make a character that's _fantasy_."

"I've seen one before," she nodded, scooping another bite of cake.

He rolled his eyes.

"Don't give me that," she scolded, narrowing her eyes. "Kami, you're such a brat sometimes. I think you and Gaki will have to be battling for the title soon."

He shook his head, "It would be too troublesome."

"That's only because you know that Gaki would win," she playfully jabbed her fork at him with a raised eyebrow and a smile.

He laughed, "As if."

"Gaki's one of the smartest creatures I know," she proudly declared. "The first being yours truly of course."

"Of course," he rolled his eyes again. He muttered under his breath, "_One of the biggest smart asses maybe._"

"I heard that!" she growled.

_Splat!_

"Hey!" he glared at her to find her laughing.

"Hey, Shikamaru..." she was laughing a bit too hard, "you've got... some cake... on your face!"

He quickly wiped it off and stood from his seat. He glared coldly at her.

She stopped laughing and looked up at him in surprise, "Oh, man, Sh—"

_Splat!_

He felt himself break into a small bit of laughter at her expression from getting her own cake shoved in her face.

It was hilarious!

She had given a mouse-like squeak right before it happened. Her eyes were huge, making the blue pop against the white frosting and yellow cake. Her mouth agape in surprise that he had actually returned fire on her.

"Oh, you better start_ running_!" she growled, but she was laughing as she wiped the cake off and started coming around the table to get him.

He took a few steps back.

His sides had actually started _hurting_ from laughing.

She pounced him.

He tried to move out of the way, but he failed. She used a

little too much force with tackling him, and they both tumbled to the ground.

Cake covered his own face from the fall.

He looked up to find the girl hovering above him. She was laughing at the fact that she was able to get him, and him over the mess on her face.

She got up, dusting herself off, before she offered him a hand up. He took it and was surprised at the strength behind her hands. He had forgotten from when they shook hands when she came to the village.

"Come on," she said, grinning. "Let's go get cleaned up."

He nodded with a smile on his face.

They went into the shop. The clerk looked over at him, a smirk forming on his mouth as he was taking the orders from the other customers.

Shikamaru just shook his head before heading into the men's room to wash his face.

* * *

I splashed cold water against my face to cool my burning cheeks and to get some of the left over cake off my face. It had been nice of him to get me that cake, despite the fact that it ended up getting all over.

_And that smile,_ I felt myself blush as I stared into the mirror. _He actually seemed like he was enjoying himself. He looked handsome with it._

I shook my head like a wet dog, spraying water everywhere in the process.

_Oh, Kami, Mizuko!_ I scolded mentally._ You can't be falling for him! I can't let that dream come true! What's wrong with me?!_ I felt my fists clench at my sides._ He doesn't even like me like that! He's probably got a crush on Ino or that Temari girl. I mean, come on! If he knew why I was in this village, there's no doubt that he turn me in to the ANBU within seconds. Don't get stupid._

I sighed, feeling a heaviness in my chest._ If only things were different..._

I slammed my fist on the porcelain sink, feeling it crack. _That damn Orochimaru! Why did he have to play the father role when I was so young and naïve?! Why did he have to have me believe that he was such a good guy back then? Why is he such a manipulative snake?!_

_Knock, knock._

"Mizuko?"

I forced my nerves to be calm.

_I have to stop thinking about that for awhile,_ I shook my head._ Just take some time to relax. If I overstress myself about this, then it's all going straight to Hell._ I took some deep breaths. _In, out. In, out. In, out_.

I plastered on a quick smile before I opened the door and stepped out of the ladies' room. I looked up at Shikamaru, about ready to say that I was ready to head out and go see the great Hokage of the Leaf Village...

When I burst out laughing instead.

I knew the boy's brows were furrowing in confusion at my reaction, but I couldn't help it!

He had a spot of white on his nose from the frosting still.

I quickly gained control of myself, letting a few giggles slide as I gestured for him to take a step closer. He obliged while I pulled a napkin from my back pocket. It was always handy to steal a few from the canisters on the tables, a person could never know when they might need one.

"Do they even have mirrors in the mens' room?" I asked, taking his chin in my hand and wiping the frosting off. I grinned, rubbing my sleeve on his nose once it was gone, "There, good as new."

A light pink tinted his cheeks, which he quickly tried to hide by putting his hand over his face, "What a drag."

"Yeah, yeah," I laughed. "Let's just head over to the Hokage's office and see what she wanted, alright?"

"Fine," he sighed.

* * *

We made it to the giant red tower in the center of the village faster that I had thought we would have. We hurried up the curved staircase on the side of the building. Shikamaru knocked for us.

"_Come in!_"

She did _not_ sound happy.

We shuffled ourselves into her office and stood at attention.

She looked messier than the last time I saw her, but I figured it was from the stress of the endless amounts of paperwork that surrounded her desk. Her hair was unkempt with thin strands sticking out. She had dark circles under her eyes that proved she was in need of sleep. Her bronze eyes glared at me in particular, which made myself stiffen and stand a little taller. Her fingers were laced together in front of her mouth, but I knew that she was frowning. She also had a pair of black reading glasses that oddly reminded me of my own were on her face.

"Mizuko Kurosawa."

The tone of her voice was extremely authoritative, easily keeping command.

"Yes, ma'am," I spoke like a soldier.

Her eyes narrowed on me as she spoke, "I know who you are."

I felt every drop of color drain from my face.

_This is _so_ not good._


	26. Secrets Behind The Lies

I couldn't breathe.

It felt like there was no air whatsoever in the room, slowly suffocating my body from the lack. My mouth was slightly agape, but no words were escaping through it. My entire body froze as though I had been hit with a possession jutsu. I had no control over anything.

"What do you mean you know who she is?" I heard Shikamaru say, but I was already going into a panic.

_Oh, I knew it!_ I wanted to run and hide. _Why did I have to be right? I hate when I'm right when it comes to things like this! I won't be able to place flowers on Tayuya's and the twins' graves. I won't be able to free Aiji and I from Orochimaru. I won't even be able to see Aiji! Kabuto will have that smug smirk on his face when he hears that I've been execute—_

"She's a native," Tsunade replied, slicing through my thoughts like a knife. "She was born here in Konoha. By birthright, this is her home."

"Hokage lady say _what?_" I stared at her owlishly. _Home?_

"What?" he echoed.

"That's right," the blond woman nodded. "I found it strange that the ANBU officials told me that the previous Hokage had some records of her living here before, but she having no memory of it. I did some research to find out."

"And you came up with that?"

"I did." She was staring at me, but I still couldn't move. I couldn't make sense of anything. So, she continued, "Mizuko Kurosawa, the daughter of Mizuho and Akira Kurosawa. They were part of a gang that use to run the streets of Ame, but they were somewhat friendly with our own ex-delinquent, Mebuki Haruno."

"Sakura's_ mom_?" Shikamaru sounded confused.

He had no idea how I felt, though.

"But..." I cleared the dryness from my throat, but it was weird to think that I had actually had parents before. I mean, I knew that I had parents at one point due to my creation, but actually having _parents_ that other people knew about was weird, "How does that relate to me being a native in Konoha if my ... p-parents"_—_it left a strange taste in my mouth_—_"were born in Ame?"

"I was getting to that," the woman waved her hand dismissively, as though sending away my question. "Your parents came to Konoha and, with a few kind words from Mebuki, made a deal with the previous Hokage. As long as they were willing to stay loyal to the village, they were allowed to stay here. They own an apartment and everything. Mizuko, your mother was pregnant when she came here. That's why they were leaving their gang of shinobi. You father built up the money from his time in Ame_ and_ in Konoha to supply you with their old apartment should anything happen to them."

I felt my throat tighten at the story of these strangers, "What... what happened to them?"

Tsunade closed her eyes for a long moment before re-opening them, "They died in battle against a woman name Nozomi Okizawa."

My fists clenched at the name.

Glaring coldly at the blond woman before me that looked absolutely exhausted, I stared her dead in the eyes, "You're lying."

"Excuse me?" she seemed surprised.

"Granny Oki would never do such a thing!" I roared at her, taking a single step forward before a hand snaked my bicep. I brushed him away, keeping my fists against my side. "She was an old woman that took care of me because the rest of the village wouldn't even look at me!"

"She kidnapped you when you were a child, Mizuko," she told me. "You parents died trying to fight back for you. We sent squad in an attempt to retrieve you, but you were unable to be found."

I shook my head furiously at her, gripping the sides of my head, "No, no, no! She was strict, but not a murderer!"

Images flashed before my eyes.

_The old woman with a face of light wrinkles, silver hair wrapped in a neat form of one of those hostess buns, stern black eyes. Her apron always a glowing white that was like the clouds; her fresh-scented green, long-sleeved shirt and brown, down-to-the-ankles skirt. She was always one for neatness._

_"Mizuko," she spoke authoritatively, "have you put away all your toys?"_

_"Yes, Granny Oki!" I ran up to her in the form of a four year old child. At the time, my hair only reached the back of my neck when it was in a ponytail. I wore a white shirt and a dark blue skirt that went passed my knees. My necklace rested under my shirt, only revealing the chain around my neck. My small hands laced behind my back as I smiled politely at the older woman. "Everything is put away just where it's suppose to go."_

_Her strict expression softened slightly and she patted her head, "Miko,"__—_a name she only called me when she _was showing her softer side—_"you're such an obedient girl. I think we should bake some cookies tonight after our guests leave, don't you think?"

_My bright blue eyes lit up, "Oh, please, Granny Oki! Please, please?!"_

"You have to have me mistaken for someone else," I told her, shaking the images away.

A picture slammed down on the Hokage's desk with her red-manicured fingernails on it.

There was a woman that looked similar to myself with brunette hair that fell around her like a dark chocolate waterfall of silk, her fringe falling neatly in a straight line over her eyebrows. Her grey eyes were shining as she looked at the camera with an infant in a pink blanket cradled in her arms lovingly. Her skin tone was pale, but not in a sickly way, with a light pink tinting her smooth cheeks. She looked unbelievably happy.

A man was also in the photo, sitting on the bed. He had one arm wrapped around the woman's shoulders and the other around the infant. His eyes, sapphire, were also shining at the birth of the child. He had raven-colored hair that spiked towards the right, a single strand falling on the bridge of his nose and curving under left eye. His bangs fell long on either side of his face and above his black eyebrows. He was very handsome, which went well with the beauty of his wife.

Something caught my eye, though.

I snatched the photograph off the desk, bringing it close to my face.

The necklace.

My necklace was around the smiling woman's neck.

_"Granny Oki?" I looked up from my spot with my doll on her old green and faded gold, circular rug to the elderly woman __with her crimson-colored glasses on the bridge of her nose_ in her dark brown leather chair. The pendant of the necklace was tight in my fist, but not too tightly in fear of breaking the delicate thing. It had always been such a peculiar necklace to my young five year old mind.

_"Yes, dear?" she looked away from her reading_ _to me. "What is your question?"_

_"Where did I get this necklace?" I asked curiously._

_She sighed heavily, as though it were something troublesome, as she shut her book with a bookmark between the pages she was reading. She laid the book against a tall end table that stood proudly next to her chair. She gestured for me to crawl onto her lap, and I obliged._

_It was never good to refuse Granny Okizawa's orders._

_"Well," the woman started, twiddling the pendant between her thumb and index finger, "this was your mother's necklace before she passed away. Your father had given it to her the day she agreed to be with him."_

_"How did Momma die?" I tilted my head at her._

_Death had been nothing new to me since Granny Oki's son, Rio, passed away. _

_"She passed away during labor," she replied._

_"And Daddy?"_

_"Of depression from the loss of your mother."_

_"Oh..." I wrapped my arms around the old woman's neck, "Thank you for loving me, Granny Oki."_

_Her arms wrapped around my much smaller body, "Of course, my dear Miko. Never forget that."_

_"I won't ever!" I grinned at her_.

_She died a few months later._

"She..." I clutched the picture in my shaking hands, "She told me that my mother died from labor and that my father died from depression."

Tsunade shook her head, "No, you were only one at the time, but your parents loved you dearly. We found their bodies badly damage where they were barely recognizable."

"Now I understand why Ame looked at me so cruelly," I growled. "I was the child of traitors in their village."

"Mizuko..." a hand touched my shoulder, but I violently jerked away.

"That damned old woman made me believe..." my throat and chest tightened with emotions. "I did everything I could to make her proud of me before and after death. I raised myself after she was gone, I studied to become a chūnin early, I trained mentally and physically to become as powerful as I possibly could. I brought flowers to her grave every year for the holidays, her birthday, her wedding anniversary, her death date. I personally would clean her gravestone, and I was the one who went through countless missions to pay for it."

I closed my eyes for a moment, forcing myself to be calm before I opened them again. I looked to the Hokage, "Would it be all right if I kept this, Lady Hokage?"

"Of course you may," she nodded, sympathy in her eyes.

I didn't want sympathy.

_After I cleaned the little remains of my belongings (I had sold most of them to pay for necessities: food, running water, heat during the winter) in the old house I had grown in, I sat myself down in Granny Oki's old leather chair. Sunlight shined through the window of the summer afternoon, so I didn't need to waste electricity on lighting._

_I was thirteen now, just been ranked to a_ chūnin!

_I sighed contentedly, leaning back against the chair, "Oh, Granny, I hope your proud."_

_I shut my eyes for a moment, smiling._

_Being a chūnin met that I was allowed a greater pay, which meant that I could keep the old place more alive. It had been awful during my starting out years alone, having to run the streets to look for food or lost money and washing clothes in the river. It was worse when I had to hunt for food through fish, especially when they weren't biting._

_I lifted the black-covered book from the dark wooden end table. It was a simple leather-bound thing with no title, but she use to always read it over and over. Even years after she had passed, I never once looked at the book._

_Until now._

_Curiously, I slowly cracked the dusty thing open only for an envelope to fall out._

_"What's this?" I muttered, lifting the aged-yellow paper from my lap._

___ In the cover_, it had Granny's perfect handwriting in the form of one word.

Miko.

For me? _I thought quietly, becoming more and more interested in the strange envelope._ She had never shown me this before...

_I quickly went to the small kitchen to retrieve a thin-bladed butter knife and easily tore as opening in the paper. I pulled out two delicate, folded paper from within. It, too, had been partially faded with age, but it wasn't dusty. Having been sealed within the envelope must have kept it protected._

_Unfolding it quickly, I read the contents._

My dearest Miko,

If you're reading this letter, then you must have peeked into that old book of mine, which means I must have passed by now. You were always such an obedient little girl, you know that? Sweet and Innocent. I apologize for having been so strict on you, but it was to turn you into a proper lady in this world. Becoming a shinobi means to keep your emotions hidden unless you use them to manipulate. Becoming a villager means the same. People will not be kind towards you, my sweet, but I am no longer there to protect you from them.

I want you to at least rank as a chūnin, being a strong girl as you are, before I soulfully allow you to do this.

There is a man that I would like you to visit. He owes me for my loyalty to him during my living years, and I have requested him to take care of you once I no longer could. He will treat you well as long as you also pledge your loyalty, which I know you will. Your style of chakra usage, even at such a young age, has always been growing stronger. He can use it well.

Remember all the cruelties the people of Amegakure have set upon you, my Miko. He would not treat you as such; he will see you as the loveliest gem. He can be the one to protect you from those who think dangerously of you. Treat him as your king, your Lord, and you will not regret the gifts he will bestow upon you. You will become even more powerful than you are now.

The paper behind this is a map to find him.

His name is Orochimaru.

_And I regret going to him now,_ I thought, staring down at the photograph in my hands. _I regret it greatly._


	27. Maybe

I sat quietly in the chair that the Hokage snapped at Shikamaru to fetch and seat me in. She had said that I looked like I was about to passed out or something along those lines. I couldn't speak nor look at anyone for a long while. I simply stared at the photograph in my clutching fingers.

"Mizuko," Tsunade's voice rang from a distance in my ears, but I looked up at her, dazed. I could see the sympathy in her eyes as she watched my movements carefully, "your parents were given the ability to stay in the village if they gave their loyalty to the village. I'm prepared to offer you the same deal, if you wish."

_More decisions for me,_ I sighed through my nostrils. _Great. I've already been fighting against Orochimaru as much as I could without putting Aiji in risk because of all this. What would happen if I swear loyalty to this place, too?_ I felt my jaw clench at the thought of being a double agent without anyone knowing about it._ Orochimaru wouldn't be happy about this, but it will start the bloom of trust towards me_. _I'm just digging myself a deeper grave here, but there has to be a way out of it somehow_..._ If what she says is true, that I was a native stolen from Konoha, then I _should_ be here to protect them like the rest of the shinobi here. Maybe even create a home for Aiji and I..._ Something tingled inside my gut and my heart start to flutter slightly._ It feels right and wrong at the same time.  
_

"Yes, ma'am," I nodded to her, staring her in the eyes despite my blank expression, letting my mouth speak as my brain continued processing everything. "I would like that very much."

_Ever since I came to this stupid village,_ I thought irritably, _my emotions have been going crazy. When I was back at Oto, I was able to hide them easily no matter what mood I was in_. _It feels the same now. How can I been so calm all of a sudden? What's going on with me? _I bit the inside of my cheek._ I can't tell if I want to destroy this place for screwing with my mind or if I want to protect it and the people that live here_ because_ they're screwing with my mind, making me think twice about what I'm doing.  
_

"On one condition, though," was reply.

I nodded my acknowledgement to her, gesturing that I was still somewhat listening to what she was saying.

She watched me for a long moment, "I understand that you're going through an emotional moment because of everything I had just told you..."

_You have no idea, Lady._

"...but I would like you to go on a mission for me, Mizuko," she said.

That caught my attention, feeling my eyes widened at her, "_Already?!_"

"Well, if you would prefer not to..."

"No, no, no!" I said quickly. There was no way that I was missing a chance to go on an assignment. "I mean,_ yes_! I want to! I'm just a little surprised is all."

"Think of it as a way of proving yourself," she replied.

_A test,_ my mind scowled at the idea. _You just keep hitting the fan, don't you, Mizuko?_

"Here, have some water," the bored tone of Shikamaru's voice caught my attention enough to turn my head towards him for a moment, finding a bottle of water in his hand. "You look like you need some."

"Thank you," I nodded my thanks and took a sip. I was surprised at how dry my throat had become from such a short conversation. I guzzled some more of the refreshing water as Tsunade spoke.

"There's a small village that's about a three day journey," she said. "We have been informed that there's a man who runs a business there that might know some a few things about a certain S-Rank criminal." I noted how she eyed Shikamaru when she spoke of the bad guy. Her gaze soon fell back onto me as she continued speaking with that authoritative tone that made it crystal clear that_ she_ was the leader, "I'd like to send _you_, along with Team Asuma, to gather information from him."

"So, who's the guy we're hunting?" I asked, taking another sip of water. I was use to playing the role of a bounty hunter for Orochimaru, so I was gathering the necessary information that I was going to need. "Or is that a secret?"

"Gakuto Fumihiko."

I spat out the water in my mouth, eye widening.

_What?!_

"You've heard of him?" asked the Hokage, raising a blond brow at my reaction. Shikamaru only sighed at the mess I had created, but he was also watching me with curiosity in his eyes.

"_Heard_ _of him?_" I asked, shocked that they hadn't known. I spat words out of my mouth before I actually realized what I was telling them, "I_ know_ him!"

They both just stared at me.

"You know him?" Shikamaru asked, eyebrows furrowing in suspicion.

_Stupid girl!_ I could heard the little voice in the back of my head scolding. _How can a kunoichi that's suppose have such a high intellect as yours be this stupid?!_

I swallowed thickly before replying, "Yeah, I use to sing at his club."

_It wasn't a lie,_ I offered my mentality.

Bronze eyes simply gazed at me questioningly, "So, you have easy access to his business then?"

"Yeah, I made friends with one of his security guards when I worked there," I blinked at her, praying that I looked like a simple-minded brunette. "If Hyousuke still works there, then I should be able to get in easily."

"Good," the blond woman nodded. "Then I shall put my trust in you then."

_Great going, Mizuko!_ That stupid voice was starting again. _Now you're getting more people to trust you! Why can't you just be a heartless creature like the other people that have had bad things happen to them?_ I mentally sighed, exasperated already.

"When do we leave?" I asked.

"If you're up for it," the woman smirked at me, "within the next two hours."

"Oh, goody," I physically sighed this time, standing from my seat. "Well, I guess that means I should go get ready then, hm?"

_I've been dying for a mission that doesn't involve screwing with people's trusts,_ I snapped back at the tiny voice. _So, shut up and let me have my moment!_

"You're really willing to go on a mission so soon?" Shikamaru was starting at me like he had never seen me before.

"It's awful to say this, but these people"___—_I waved the photograph at him___—_"are strangers to me." I put my hands on my hips, "I can't let them effect me so deeply if I have no memories of them. I grew up with Okizawa, bonded with her and her son, and mourned when they passed. I was raised under the woman's strict rules to never allow yourself to mourn for too long, and it's even better to refuse yourself to mourn at all."

"If you were like that," Tsunade butted in, "then you'd have no soul and you'd be a killing machine."

I turned my head to look at her from over my shoulder, "Again, I was raised to be that way. I changed myself a little after the old woman passed, but I never allowed myself to get too close to people until my brother."

_Even when I'm around Shikamaru, Choji, Ino, and even Asuma, I still have my guard up._

"Brother?"

I waved to the boy as though he were merely a fly in my way, "Shikamaru can give you the missing details as I go get myself ready to set out."

The woman blinked at me, surprised that I had dismissed the topic so easily and that I volunteered the boy. She might have felt like she lost a bit of her intimidation against me, but that wasn't completely true. I just didn't want to see the woman angry, but I wanted to hurry up and gather my gear.

Instead of becoming angry like I expected she would have been, the woman laughed a bit.

I blinked owlishly at her, cocking my head slightly to the side at her strange reaction.

"This girl... she's just like... Naruto!" she said between her laughter as it grew louder.

_Naruto._ I thought, taking a mental note._ That name keeps popping up. Is he like the Kabuto of this village? He obviously must be someone important_.

"Alright, Mizuko, you're dismissed," Tsunade waved for me to leave.

"Can you find your way back to the house?" Shikamaru looked at me from over his shoulder.

"Yeah, totally," I nodded to him before stepping out and shutting the door behind me. I sighed heavily before I took a step away, "Shouldn't be that hard to find, right?"

_You are so dead if they find out about you,_ my cruel mind snickered.

I smacked my palm against my face as I repeated it, "I am _so_ dead..."

"What seems to be the problem, miss?"

I looked up and nearly cringed at the sight before me. A boy about my age in a green jumpsuit with the traditional Konoha vest, which meant he was chūnin-ranked or higher. He had bandaged arms and orange leg warmers that clashed against the green hues and his navy sandals. His hair was a black bowl cut and his eyes were bi___—_ No, his _eyebrows_ were like fat, fuzzy, rectangular caterpillars on his face!

I swallowed every possible joke I could have possible made about his eyebrows alone and smile sweetly to him, "None at all. I was simply heading back to the Nara home."

He gave me a smile that _ping_ed when the lighting hit it the right way, which was shortly followed by a thumbs-up, "I have no idea where that is, but I do know someone who might."

I felt my face mold into a _You're kidding me, right?_ look.

Now he was jogging in place, beckoning for me to follow him, "Come with me, youthful maiden! We shall find the Nara household as we train our physical status!"

_Great,_ I thought. _Just when I thought these people couldn't get any loonier from the dog boy Kiba to the crazy Hokage, now I have to deal with Captain Youth here... Am I sure that I want to protect a psychotic place like this?_

* * *

After he had thoroughly explained big parts of the passed couple of days to the Hokage, she stayed as silent as she had when he began. Her eyes analyzing his every word, her mind processing and looking for any kinks or quirks that may come in future usage in case the girl decided to turn away. Her hands folded together in front of her mouth as she went into deep thinking.

Shikamaru, having left out a few minor details like how her walks around the house at night half-naked and threw cake in his face earlier this morning, was still in slight shock that Tsunade was _actually_ considering of letting the girl stay in the village. Normally, they would never take in outsiders. The whole point was to see if she was a spy sent into the village for any form of enemy attack, but that seemed highly doubtful...

Except when she started speaking about their latest assignment.

_When I asked her,_ he thought quietly, _she got nervous all of a sudden_. _What happened there?_

"If you're wondering why I'm wondering whether or not to allow her to stay in the village, Shikamaru," the blond woman spoke, causing him to flinch slightly in response, "it's because her parents really were good people to the village."

He felt his brow knit together in confusion, "What do you mean?"

She slapped a thick stack of papers on his end of her desk, "These are all the missions that Akira Kurosawa took during his wife's pregnancy. There's group missions, single missions, D's, C's, B's, A's, even S-ranks. Whatever mission my teacher threw at this guy, he'd take it head on if it meant bringing in money for his wife and upcoming child, if it meant that he was gaining the village's trust so that they could have a home. He only slowed down when his wife needed him and after Mizuko was born."

Shikamaru stared wide-eyed at the stack. It was high enough to completely cover his hand in the thin paperwork. In a year and less than nine months, the man must have taken over two hundred missions, maybe more.

"How is that even possible?" his eyes left the papers to meet the Hokage's.

She shrugged, "He was determined, I supposed. He never gave a single suspicion as to why he should have been treated like he wasn't a native."

"But Mizuko wasn't raised by her parents," he reminded her. "She was raised by Okizawa, right?"

Tsunade nodded her confirmation, "And that's what worries me."

"What was so bad about Okizawa?" he asked. "Despite the kidnapping."

"Nozomi Okizawa use to be a worker bee for Orochimaru," Tsunade's eyes narrowed, her eyes burning the bronze color brightly.

He was taken aback, "_Orochimaru?!_"

"_Shhh!_" she hissed at him. When he was silent and had composure, she continued, "It was only shortly after the disappearance of Mizuko that we heard she left Orochimaru's side. No one understood why, but she left without a trace. The only time anyone had heard anything about her was a couple of years ago when we found out that she was dead and Mizuko was gone."

"So, there's always the possibility that Okizawa could have kept Orochimaru a complete secret from Mizuko," He told her. He didn't quite understand why he was feeling hopeful, but he knew it was going to ruins with the other possibility behind it.

"Or Okizawa could have directed her_ to_ Orochimaru before she died," Tsunade replied. "We can't be too careful now, Shikamaru. I want you to keep a close eye on her during the mission. If you feel threatened, do not hesitate. Understand?"

"Yes, ma'am," was the only reply he could give.

* * *

"_Achoo!_"

"Bless you," Lee, the green boy in the jumpsuit, said instantly after I sneezed. "You are not getting a fever, are you, Mizuko-san?"

I shook my head at him, rubbing my nose as I watched the brunette, long-haired boy, Neji Hyūga, who happened to be Lee's teammate, that could have easily been taken as a girl at first glance. Kami knew that I did when I first saw him. He glared at me, seeming unamused by my sudden interruption of their conversation, but that could have also been because I literally _asked_ him whether or not he was gender confused...

"Don't give me that look," I glared back up at him since he was almost half a head taller than myself. "It's not my fault you could have been taken as a flat-chested female with that hair."

His eye twitched at me as we continued our glaring war.

There was an actual_ girl_ there, too, and she happened to have been the cousin of the she-male Hyūga that I was staring down. Her name was Hinata, or something like that. She was a sweet little thing with the shy personality of a rabbit. I liked her so far, but she didn't say much like her silent relative. Dark blue hair and soft, nearly-white eyes that were unlike the she-male's stern ones.

"N-Neji..." Hinata was started getting nervous as the she-male stepped towards me, obviously irritated with my comments.

I didn't really care, though.

I had just learned that Granny Okizawa killed off my biological parents before I could even get to know them, so I didn't really know how I was suppose to feel about that. Was I suppose to be happy that I didn't get to make close bonds with them before they died, or sad about the same reason? I had been living a lie most of my life because Granny decided she was going to kidnap me from them, but why me? If I hadn't been stolen, then I could have lived in Konoha and grew up with the amusing people around me. I could have been raised differently. How was I suppose to feel about that?

_I could have gone through my life without ever having anything to do with Orochimaru, _I thought partially gleeful. It soon turned sour when another thought struck my insides. _Or Aiji._

I bit the inside of my lip at the last thought, mentally shaking it away.

Lee instantly stepped between us, his back to me as though he were protecting me from her upset teammate, "Neji, I apologize for disturbing you during your training, but I was curious if Hinata or you knew where Shikamaru Nara lived."

"Tch," Neji shot a cold glare at me, which I responded with sticking my tongue out at him. He growled at me, and it didn't sound playful, "Better put that thing back in your mouth before it gets cut off."

Oh, _Kami_, was his voice silky, though.

"See?" I grinned, deciding to play with him a little more. "Now if you used that handsome voice more, then I wouldn't have been confused about you."

Well, there goes that old saying of _If looks could kill.._.

The she-male stalked away, clearly done with me.

My smile only grew wider at my victory as he yelled, "_Wipe that smirk off your idiotic face, new girl!_"

"Not happening any time soon,_ pretty boy_!" I called back, cupping my hand to the side of my face. I turned to Lee and Hinata, "I think I just made a new friend."

They stared at me for a moment before laughing.

I did a single-shoulder shrug, smirking at their laughter.

"I don't exactly know where Shikamaru lives," Hinata replied as her giggles subsided, her stuttering disappearing as she gained confidence in her speaking, "but I can take you to someone I know does."

I smacked my hand against my face, "How is it that Shikamaru's house always ends up as a wild goose chase for me?"

Lee and Hinata fell into another fit of laughter, which I easily joined them in.

Maybe things wouldn't have been so bad here...


End file.
